Shadow the Hedgehog -REVAMP-
by HedgehogSuperHeroUniverse
Summary: A superhero twist on the games. A teen named Matthew is born with a black-haired anthropomorphic hedgehog alter ego. But are these powers a blessing, or a curse? His past is a mystery. Distraught and lost, he must fight his arch-nemesis, Dr. Eggman—Matthew's uncle and only remaining family member—as "Shadow The Hedgehog." Can he show the world that he really is good?
1. Creating the Ultimate Life Form

"This is out of line, Gerald," said the G.U.N. Commander.

"I-I'm sorry!" Professor Gerald Robotnik pleaded. "I… I just need more time…"

" _We've given you more time,_ " the Commander stated firmly. He let out a deep sigh. "Do you have Black Doom's DNA yet?"

"Y-yes," the professor said quickly. "I just need a human to also be the donor."

"Good." The Commander left the lab, leaving Robotnik with his work.

The professor reached into the pocket of his labcoat and pulled out a beautiful red gem. It was about the size of a fist. It glowed brightly as it was being held in Robotnik's hand.

"I just need six more of you, Chaos Emerald," he said, "then I will change the world." He began to laugh.

* * *

Gerald Robotnik was one of the greatest scientists in the world. He was an old, bald man with a big white mustache. A _big_ white mustache. His blue spectacles made his eyes hidden. He was hired by G.U.N., the Guardian Units of Nations, a special military organization, to create a life form that would be used for combat. The professor called it "the Ultimate Life Form."

Maria, Robotnik's 27-year-old daughter, was in the G.U.N. infirmary, delivering a baby. Her screams could be heard across the halls. She was giving birth to the life form that Robotnik had created. The doctors kept telling her to breath. Finally, the baby came out. However, it didn't look like a baby at all. It looked completely alien. It was covered in black hair, except for its mouth. There were some read stripes on the back of its head, and a small white streak on its chest. Its eyes were open, revealing two red eyes. Anyone who was unaware of the special project would think that Maria had just given birth to a demon.

"Take it to the lab," said a voice. It was Robotnik's. He had been watching the whole time. A tear was running down his cheek.

The chord was cut off before the baby was taken to the professor's lab. It was placed in a generator-like machine. Robotnik sat near it and turned it on after typing some things in his computer. The baby lay there, yelling human-like cries. The professor flipped a switch and the baby was surrounded in a barrage of green electricity. It cried and shrieked in pain. The black hair began to disappear, and the baby started getting regular human features. Robotnik turned off the machine not a moment after the baby looked completely human.

One of the doctors went to the baby and gently picked him up. "It's a boy," he said after figuring out its sex.

"Good," said the professor. "Take him back to my daughter."

The baby boy was given back to Maria after more procedures and being wrapped in a blanket. He was taken to his Mother, Maria, who tenderly cradled him in her arms.

"Matthew…" she said softly. "My little Matthew."

* * *

It was two months later. Matthew was doing great. A few days after the boy's birth, Robotnik took the time to explain to Maria what exactly she was raising: an alien. He told her what about Matthew's future with G.U.N. and what he would do for them.

"When he is old enough, they will show him who he really is," he had said.

He looked very jittery. He was always watching his back, like something was going to get him. He had safely hidden the Chaos Emerald in the laboratory in his house in Westopolis, but still he felt it could be found. No one knew why the Emerald was so important to him. To everyone else, it was just a big diamond that could be sold for the jewelry industry. They didn't know its power, what it could be used for. A person with such a prize would show it off, not keep it hidden.

One day, the G.U.N. Commander burst into Robotnik's lab. The professor was rummaging through his file cabinets, obviously looking for something.

"Looking for these?" the Commander asked, holding a thin file in his hand. "I picked them up when I saw them just… lying around. He threw the file on Robotnik's desk.

Robotnik looked at the file and the Commander nervously. He swallowed with difficulty with his mouth now dry as a bone.

"I read some real _interesting_ things in that file," the Commander continued. He wiped everything off of his desk with a quick swipe, though there was only some pictures and a lot of papers.

The professor was now sweating. "Like…?"

The Commander sat on the desk, enjoying the professor's state of anxiety. "Like what you were really going to do with the life form." He walked up to the professor and yelled in his face. "You disobeyed orders! You were going to it for something else, you bastard! And by the looks of it, it looked like you were going to use it for yourself!"

"He's a human being!" the professor protested.

"He's an _alien!_ "

"What I'm going to use him for is no crueler than what you are planning!"

The Commander stood back and crossed his arms. He spoke softly now. "You want to rule the world with him. We want to preserve peace with him, just like we did with me 10 years ago."

"It's not like that!"

"I believe it is. There were other things in that file. Something about Chaos Emeralds? What can you tell me about those?"

"The secret they hold shall not be given to ordinary men."

"Hm. And you believe you are not ordinary?"

"I've created the ultimate life form!"

"But it wasn't just _you,_ was it? You only deserve only a _sliver_ of the credit, not all of it. And Matthew's not the only 'ultimate' life form. For your actions, you are no longer on the project. Leave the building immediately."

The professor began to gather all of his paperwork together. The Commander stopped him.

"Leave all of your research here. You can only take these." He handed Robotnik two framed photos, one of Maria & Matthew and one of his dead wife. Robotnik looked at both pictures like they were all he had.

"Go," the Commander said.

The professor remained standing there.

"I said _go!_ " shouted the Commander.

The professor bolted out of the room, weeping."I'm so sorry, sir," the Commander whispered as he watched Robotnik go.

* * *

Maria and baby Matthew were staying in San Diego, the city closest to the G.U.N. headquarters. Matthew was two months old and was doing pretty well. He was acting and behaving normally, despite there being something inside him… Professor Robotnik burst into the door of the hotel room.

"Pack your things," he said breathlessly. "You need to leave. Now."

He did not answer any of Maria's questions. He only told what she needed to do: "Get Matthew back to Westopolis. Do _not_ trust anyone except Ivo. If you see any traces of G.U.N., _get out of there._ "

Maria asked him again what was going on, and he just said there was trouble with G.U.N. and that he would see her soon. So, she took the baby and made her way to Westopolis.

 **Hi guys! Before you say anything like, "This is PokemonMaster32g's story! You're stealing!", I want you all to know that I am PokemonMaster32g. I decided to make a new account and reboot the Hedgehog Chronicles. I felt really bad about my abrupt abandonment of the series, so I decided I'd come back and revamp it, and hopefully continue it, then hopefully conclude it. I have a lot of work ahead of me. After I've re-uploaded all the chapters to the _Shadow_ story here, I'll do the same with the _Sonic_ story, then finish it. I saw tons and tons of PMs on my old account asking what had happened to the series, and if the Hedgehog Chronicles would continue. Well, it's back, and I will continue it. If you're new to the series, then, welcome! I'm glad you're along for the ride. :)**


	2. 8 Years Later

" _Where is he?!_ " asked the G.U.N. Commander.

He was in a board room in the G.U.N. Fortress with six other men. They were all responsible for finding Professor Robotnik. None of them answered the commander's demand.

"Well?"

One of the members was brave enough to speak up. "Well… He has a daughter, Maria…"

"Yes, yes, yes. We know that. She wouldn't know where he is. Anything else?"

"He h-has a s-s-son… Ivo Robotnik. He works in the same field as the professor."

"Would he know?"

"…Probably not."

The commander screamed in fury. He faced away from the members to the wall to calm down.

"That man," he said, "must be condemned for his crimes. We need that baby, too."

"But…" said one of the members, "he is human. He needs to live a human life."

"Yes," agreed the commander. "That is why we only need _access_ to the child. He will remain in custody with Maria."

"Commander?" said another member.

"Yes?"

"Who is the father of this baby?"

* * *

 _8 Years Later_

Christmastime. A time where families get together. The Robotniks strongly believed in family values… probably because their family was very small. It was just Maria, her son and her brother Ivo. Ivo, like his father, Gerald, was a revered scientist. He was known for building war machines and advanced robots for G.U.N. He'd contributed a lot to G.U.N. in the past three years. He'd also picked up the nickname "Egg Man", since his body was shaped like an egg. He had a pointy pink nose and a large, bushy mustache that hid most of his mouth. He was a very nice man, and had always been a good brother to Maria. No one could believe that they were siblings since they didn't look anything alike. Maria took the appearance of their mother, while Ivo took the appearance of their father.

…Who they hadn't seen in eight years.

Maria still looked young and vibrant. She was pulling the turkey out of the oven while 8-year-old Matthew was "assisting." She heard a knock on the door. It must've been Ivo. Fashionable late, as usual. After knocking one more time, he let himself in. He was family after all. He had present under his arm, all wrapped up and with a ribbon on it.

"Uncle Egg Man!" Matthew yelled gleefully. He ran to his uncle and hugged his leg.

"Hey, kiddo!" Ivo harked. He reached down and patted Matthew's head. The scientist was very tall, standing nearly seven feet thanks to his long legs.

"Mommy got me a present!" declared Matthew, pointing to a train set laying on the floor.

"Just wait till you see what I've got for you!" Ivo said. He always founded like he had a laugh in his voice. He gave Matthew the gift box.

The boy immediately went to the couch to open in it. He quickly demolished the wrapping paper and opened the box. After getting through a couple layers of bubble wrap, he lay his eyes on the magnificent gift.

"A _gun!_ " he exclaimed.

Maria looked up from the turkey in shock, until he took it out of the box and let her see what it really was. It had a wacky design. It was perfectly fitted for Matthew's hands.

"Pull the trigger," Ivo told him.

A large stream of bubbles came bursting out. Matthew laughed hysterically.

"Built it myself," Ivo added quietly. He faced Maria. "How's everyone doing?"

"Well, it's just us," she replied. "Nothing much ever happens."

Ivo looked around the room. "You haven't done much to the house. Of course, there isn't much you can do…"

Maria just shrugged. "Time to eat!" she said to Matthew. "Put the gun down."

"But Mom!" he protested. "I'm shooting monsters."

"It's Christmas. I'm sure the monsters have to eat, too," she said, a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Yeah. They wanna eat _you!_ "

One everyone had sat down, Maria began serving up the turkey. Ivo watched Matthew eat his. He couldn't help but notice how good his manners were. He handled the fork properly. He used his napkin. He chewed with his mouth closed. He never complained about his food. It made Ivo wish he had a child.

"So, Dad couldn't make it?" Ivo asked Maria. It was more of a statement, not a question.

"Yep," Maria answered simply.

"Eighth year in a row," Ivo grumbled.

"Mom?" said Matthew.

"Yeah?"

"Where's _my_ dad?"

The question caused Maria to feel a pang of sadness and regret. "He's… gone."

"Where?"

"Someplace… Someplace far away."

"Where?"

"I don't know where he is, honey." Now she was starting to sound fed up.

Ivo was becoming intrigued. " _Who_ is his father?" he asked.

"Ivo!" she scolded. " _Not at the table._ "

She's forgotten many times that Ivo was unaware of the story behind Matthew. It made her sad that he didn't know his nephew was a monster. Matthew's origin was to be a secret to all that weren't involved.

"Excuse me for wondering," Ivo said hotly. He began to eat his turkey, careful to not get any on his prized mustache.

"When are you going to shave that thing off?" Maria asked.

"What thing?"

"Your mustache."

"My mustache. B-but... it's practically a part of me!"

Maria giggled. "How long have you had it?"

"Since I was younger! I've had it since I was 14!"

"It started off as just a line above your lip, and now it's long and flowing."

"It should be at the top of your head," Matthew said.

Ivo didn't like being reminded that he was bald. He pretended to pout as he finished his meal.

The scientist left a few hours later. He was staying at a hotel in downtown Westopolis, not far from Maria's suburban house. Matthew had fallen asleep in his mother's arms. It made her a little sad how peaceful and innocent he looked. His birth was still fresh in her memory. He looked so hideous and disgusting. She couldn't believe he was that _thing_ that lived in her womb. When they made him look human, did they take away that monster, or did they just hide it inside?

* * *

The past eight years had been tough for Professor Gerald Robotnik. After G.U.N. established a search for him, he relocated to Central City and built a lab there. He was so distanced from humanity, he felt like he was about to go insane. Mad scientists were the best scientists, he believed. How could G.U.N—no, the _world_ —betray him like that? He was about to create something that would surmount humanity. Matthew, once his true identity was revealed, would a symbol for the world, and G.U.N. just took it away! He would never forgive them for that. Bringing Matthew into a war zone? As a child? Their ideas were more insane than his! The professor knew what he had to do. In time, he would find Matthew and help him find who he really was. What Maria _really_ gave birth to. Then, the search would begin.

Gerald left his desk and went to a special part of his home/lab, a part he called the "Chaos Room". In it were seven canisters. Two of them already contained a Chaos Emerald, the name "the Chaos Room".

"I will find the Chaos Emeralds!" he shrieked.


	3. Amy Rose

_7 Years Later_

Matthew's life was perfect, and he knew it. He had a kind, loving family, albeit small. School was going great, even though he had very few friends. Even though there were obvious downs, he always found the ups. He knew life could be much worse. He could be homeless, he could be poor, he could have no family at all, he could be unable to attend school. His life was pretty normal. He liked it that way. He was a freshman in high school. Even though he kept his spirits up, he had to face the fact that he was the lowest of the low. Of course, there was that girl he liked. Her name was Amy. Amy Rose. She was a year older than him. Sophomores were more likeable than freshmen, especially the cool or cute ones. Amy was definitely one of the cute ones. Her blond hair was long and kind of curly. Her green eyes could look at you and make you drop dead. They were so starry… so beautiful. Matthew thought he was the only one who knew her eyes were green. All the other guys were too busy staring at her butt or her chest. Matthew was more modest. He was raised not to be rude.

They went to East High in Westopolis. There were three other high schools in the city: North, South and Central High. Matthew was one of the best students in his freshmen class. He had all A's except for one B, thanks to a recent test in Biology. The school lacked in education, but made up for it with really talented athletes. Those jocks were the main people to bully Matthew. He tried to ignore it. He was smart and his teachers liked him.

Today, Matthew was deep in thought, like most days. He didn't speak very much. It wasn't like anyone wanted to talk to him anyway.

"Hey, Matt."

Except for Amy.

Matthew was at his locker when he heard her voice. It was just after third period. It surprised him so much he dropped his things. He turned to see Amy standing there, beaming at him.

"H-hey," he stammered, still in shock. _Be friendly. Smile at her,_ his mom's words repeated in his mind.

"So, um, can you help me with my Algebra at lunch?" she asked.

Matthew hesitated, giving her enough time to add, "You're, like, the smartest person I know."

He decided to try on that smile. "Yeah, sure," he said.

"Thank God. You're a lifesaver." She squeezed his shoulder as she walked away.

 _She digs me,_ he thought to himself cockily.

Fourth period was Geometry. After that came English. Then lunch. Instead of paying attention in class, he kept thinking about Amy. What did that shoulder squeeze mean? Was she flirting with him? Wait, a girl flirting with _him?_ The idea would baffle anyone. Matthew definitely wasn't ugly. He just seemed… weird. He often wore black clothes, but it was only because he liked the color black. He though the clothes went well with his black hair. Also, people were weirded out by his red eyes. He was probably the only one on the planet with eyes that red. The other kids also thought his fascination with motorcycles was strange. He wasn't trying to be a phony who thought he was badass. He just liked bikes!

Amy was different, though. She wasn't judgmental like the others. She was his only friend, and the closest thing to a best friend he ever had. But he guessed Amy didn't think of the two of them as _best_ friends. They never hung out outside of school. But she treated him nicely. She didn't make him feel like he was the lowest of the low.

He went back to his initial question: was she flirting with him? Surprisingly, as beautiful as she was, she really didn't _flirt._ Matthew liked that about her. She was the only girl in the school who didn't act like she knew she was hot. This year she dated a couple of Average Joes. No football stars, no basketball stars, just regular guys.

Matthew was so caught up in her he almost didn't hear the bell ring. But he would do anything for love. He would spend next period thinking about how to ask her out.

It was finally time for lunch. Matthew was so excited he felt like he might pee himself. He never felt so strongly about Amy before. Just one squeeze on his shoulder?

Matthew found a small round table. He brought his own lunch from home. He started eating it as he waited for her. Around 30% of him knew about the possibility of her ditching him. But he was wrong. He heard a clang on the table—the sound of Amy setting her tray down.

"You brought your own lunch?" she asked.

He looked up and let the corners up his mouth form into a small smile. "Yep."

"The food _is_ kind of gross," she said, sitting down.

Matthew noticed she didn't bring a book or a notebook. "Where's your algebra?" he asked.

"Oh. Um… I didn't bring it. I figured it out."

"Good for you." He took a bite out of his sandwich.

"What're you eating?" he heard her ask.

"Let's see." He look in his lunchbag. "I brought… an apple, some pudding, and a sandwich."

"That's not a lot."

Matthew could feel himself sweating. Why was this so weird for him? She didn't bring her Algebra… She had time to finish it? Or maybe it wasn't done, but she still didn't need help.

"Your eyes are really pretty," she said.

A compliment.

"Uh, thanks," he said, looking up at her.

"How did you get them so red?"

"I don't know why they're like that. I was just… I don't know. I was just born with them."

"How are you _born_ with red eyes?"

He looked down at his food and shrugged. "Someone in my family must've had red eyes."

She giggled. "You're so mysterious."

They ate in silence for awhile. Amy kept texting her friends, while Matthew just stared out the window.

"Can I get a picture with you?" she asked, making his train of thought crash and burn.

"What?"

"A picture. For Facebook."

 _She likes me,_ he thought. Now he was starting to get scared. A girl never "liked him" liked him before.

And he hated getting his picture taken.

"Sure."

Amy moved beside him and held the phone in front of them. Matthew thought the finished product looked pretty good.

"Hey, Amy!" a voice yelled. It was a tall senior with blond hair. "Stop hangin' out with Martin and come over here!"

"His first name's Matthew, and I'd rather be with him than you!"

Matthew faced away from them, not liking being the topic of conversation.

The bell rang. "See you later, Matt."

"See ya."

He felt happy, scared and confused all at the same time. All he knew was that he was in love with Amy Rose.

"HEEEEEEEEEELLLLLP!" he texted to his mom.

"Wut is it?"

"I think Amy Rose likes me"

"Y do u need help?"

"Cuz I dont know wut to do"


	4. The Date

Matthew walked home that day. The city of Westopolis was colossal. Skyscrapers were everywhere in this futuristic city. A global city, it was one of the financial capitals of the world with strengths in business, international trade, science, culture, medicine, research and technology. Its population was just over 6 million. It had also become one of the most corrupt cities in the U.S. The mob controlled some of its banks, ragging in lots of money. There were a few corrupt officers in the police department, easily bribed by criminals with lots of cash. But worst of all, the mayor was corruptible. He made no efforts to stop crime in the city. In his speeches and press conferences, he viewed Westopolis as "a place where evil does not prevail." He failed to see that evil was everywhere. The city was about to enter a depression thanks to the crime lords. Crime would eventually drain Westopolis until it was dry.

Nearly all of the citizens of the metropolitan area, including Matthew and his mother Maria, wanted something to be done about all the crime. Just a few days ago, the mayor released a statement saying he would take care of the problem. B.S., everyone thought. Corruption would bring the city to its demise. Yet no city officials seemed to care!

Walking through the city by yourself was dangerous, no matter what time of day. Criminals hid in the alleyways, waiting for someone who was: a) carrying a purse/handbag, b) wearing a suit/dress or c) walking home from school. Teens were so gullible, so naïve. All it took was some manipulative talking & a few punches in the gut, and the criminal inside them was born.

Westopolis, once known as a land of opportunity, was one of the least safe places in the world.

But Matthew didn't think so. He deeply loved this city. He grew up here. He knew there was good in it. The people who weren't making a living on crime were hardworking citizens. They were the ones who kept the city going. He knew that one day, someone would rise up and change people's lives forever. A hero would eventually come to save the city.

"The night is darkest just before the dawn" he would always say.

Matthew learned a good technique for walking home: look pissed off, and no one will touch you. Thanks to his black clothes, black hair and red eyes, he could fool anyone. He made it home safely around 4:20. He still lived in that same small, barely-supportive house since he was 8. When entering the one-story house, you could immediately turn right to go to the kitchen. The dining room was also there. Or, you could turn left to see a small hallway with Maria's room, the bathroom and Matthew's room. A small, old-looking TV sat in the living room.

"Mom?" the teen yelled. No answer. She was probably on her way home from work. He grabbed his laptop from his room and logged on to Facebook. Sure enough, there was a notification that he was tagged in a photo by Amy Rose. He thought it looked pretty good. Amy was making a funny face (while still maintaining her beauty) while Matthew was smiling charmingly. He was surprised to see it had 16 Likes. He clicked "Like" and turned shut the laptop.

His mom came in a few minutes later. She was struggling to carry some grocery bags. Without any of them saying a word, Matthew took and carried some for her.

"Thanks, Matt," she said tiredly.

"Yep."

Around 6:40, it was time to eat. Maria had prepared some chicken alfredo. It was one of Matthew's favorite foods. They had a nightly dinnertime conversation.

"So… Amy Rose likes you?" Maria began.

"Yep."

"Do you like her?"

"I can't think of one person who doesn't."

"Tell me what happened."

"Well, it was really awkward, but it felt good afterward. She came up to me and asked to help her with her homework at lunch…"

"Isn't she a sophomore?"

"Yeah. She said I'm the smartest person she knows. So, lunch comes, but she doesn't have any books or anything with her."

"Oh. She made up a reason to be with you at lunch."

"That's what I thought, but I wasn't too sure."

"I'm sure that's what it was. It probably would feel weird for her if she asked you directly if you wanted to."

"Mm-hm. So I say yes, and she squeezes my shoulder."

Maria look surprised. "Really? For how long?"

"Like, a second."

"Well, when a girl likes a guy, she might do anything to touch him. To see how 'toned' he is."

Matthew snickered. "I'm not toned."

"Sure you are, Matt! I _know_ that girls stare at you every day."

"That can't be true. Then why don't they come up and talk to me?"

"Because girls fear rejection. Just like guys do."

"Interesting. Moving on. So lunch comes, she doesn't bring anything, and we have a weird conversation."

"What'd you talk about?"

Matthew though for a moment. "Well, _nothing,_ really. She said my eyes are pretty. And she called me _mysterious._ "

Maria grinned. Her teeth were straight and white. "Well, you _are_ pretty mysterious."

"But, my eyes… Mom, why are my eyes _red?_ "

"I don't know, okay?" She was sounding very defensive, like he'd just asked her a very personal question.

"Okay…" he said, hurt in his voice. "Forget I asked."

Maria took a deep breath, calming down. "So, what're you going to do?"

Matthew shrugged. "What do _you_ think I should do?"

"Ask for her number," his mother replied, sounding like an expert. "Tell her you'd like to talk to her more."

"But isn't her cell in the phonebook?"

"No, no, no. Well, yes, it is, but that's not what you do. Just do it. If she likes you, she'll say yes."

"What if she says no?"

"Then just take it and act like you understand. Be okay with it."

"Huh. That's some pretty good advice," he said.

"Yep. And if she says yes, don't forget to tell her your number."

"What _is_ my number?"

* * *

Matthew went to bed around 10. He was too excited for the next day to sleep. _Just think,_ he thought. _You'll be the next boyfriend of Amy Rose._

The buzzer went off around 6 am. He lay there for a few moments before rolling to his side, saying aloud, "Ugh! Waking up _sucks!_ "

 _Time to hit the shower,_ he told himself. _Gotta look nice for Amy…_

Matthew got to school around 7:40. Amy would occasionally go early to do her makeup and eat lunch.

"Please be there, please be there, please be there, please be there!" he begged to God.

His prayers were answered. She was sitting at a table by herself, since none of the popular kids came before 8 sharp. Instead of heading to his locker like usual, he went to go talk to her. She was about to witness his smoothness.

"Hey, Amy," he said casually.

She looked up at him and smiled. "Matt! How're you?"

"I'm great," he said sitting down. "Tired, but great. How're you?"

"I'm pretty good." She talked about how excited she was that cheerleading was over and how badly she wanted school to be done. Matthew listened to evry detail, wanting her to know that he was interested in what she was saying.

"Is being a sophomore hard?" he asked.

"Probably won't be for you, but for the others, yeah."

Matthew peered at the clock. It was almost time for class to start.

"Are you up for lunch again today?" he asked. He immediately regretted how he asked her that. He didn't want to sound too friendly. What if she thought he was a creep?

He needn't worry. She said yes. She even asked him if he wanted to go to Subway with her.

Matthew was very surprised, and he tried his best not to show it.

"T-today?"

"Yeah. I'm sick of the food here. I don't think I'll eat breakfast or lunch here ever again."

Now Matthew was scared. He felt safe in this school. He was worried that he'd turn into a nervous wreck if he hung out with a girl outside of school.

He didn't realize he wasn't answering. "Matt? Amy said.

He snapped back to attention and looked at Amy blankly.

"Did I lose you?" she asked, a look of amusement on her face.

"No. I'll go with you. To Subway. With you. Just us. As friends and whatnot."

"Good. Here's my cell number." She tore a slip of paper off her notebook and wrote down some numbers. The bell rang as she gave it to him.

"See you," she said. She gathered up her things and headed to the hallway.

Matthew just sat there, exasperated. _Hell yeah,_ he thought. _She must really like me. I didn't even mention phone numbers. Plus I'm gonna eat out with her!_

* * *

"Commander, we found something."

"What?"

A man was standing in front of a large screen. It had a map of the globe, with nine red dots on it. Said commander, the G.U.N. Commander, walked up to it, looking at it in awe. "You found…"

"The seven Chaos Emeralds, plus Matthew Martin-Robotnik. We picked something else up, but were're not sure what it is—"

"How did you…"

"We tracked the signature left by the Chaos Emeralds."

"I see. You found the Chaos Emeralds. But we also need _Gerald Robotnik._ "

"Professor Gerald has possession of one the Emeralds, doesn't he?"

"Yes, he does."

"So we believe the professor's either here—" he pointed to Central City's location—"or here—" he pointed to Westopolis's location.

"I see. And the rest of the Emeralds are across the ocean," the Commander said, looking at the rest of the map.

"Yes, sir."

"Hmmm… We go to Westopolis first. If the professor's not there, at least we'll have picked up Matthew. Then, we'll take a trip to Central City."

* * *

It happened so fast. One moment: Matthew was brimming with confidence, the next: Matthew was scared for his life. Was he going on a _date_ with Amy? If he ended up paying for her, then yes, it was a date. What if she paid for him, would he just pay her back? He had to make sure this was just two friend eating together, and not a date! He'd never been on a date before… He didn't know proper dating etiquette. He'll just remember his manners and be friendly, he thought. Since Amy already liked him, there was no need to impress her.

A friend of Amy's was disdainfully staring at him during English. She obviously didn't want her friend to eat out with this guy in the next hour. Matthew could feel her eyes on him the entire class, taking in all the negative things about him.

 _Why don't more people like me?_ he thought to himself. _Why do they judge a book by its cover? I mean, seriously! If they got to know me the way Amy did, they'd like me, right?_

As lunch got closer, Matthew started getting more nervous. His heart was pounding as if it wanted to burst out of his chest. He felt cold and hot at the same time. _Keep it together, Matt,_ he thought. _You need to remain being charming!_

Matthew let out a silent yelp as the bell rang. Part of him wanted to stay in his seat. Groaning silently, he gathered his things and made a beeline to his locker. He had packed his lunch just in case she'd forget about the whole thing. But he bet she wouldn't have. He checked if his money was still in his pocket. It wasn't! Oh, wait, it was in his _other_ pocket.

"Here goes nothin'," he said to himself.

Amy was in the cafeteria, waiting for him. He waved when he saw her. She led him to a silver minivan. It was probably a 2010 model.

"So, why _are_ your eyes red?"

"I have no clue."

Amy and Matthew were at Subway, waiting in line. Matthew had thought he'd get a kick out of this, getting to watch a sociopath throw together his sandwich. Amy was standing behind him, poking his back. Half of him wanted her to stop, while the other half wanted her to never stop. Her turned toward her a little, trying to make it harder for her to poke him, but not too hard. He remembered his mom saying how she would want to see how toned he was. When it was their turn, Matthew ordered a turkey sandwich with lettuce, tomato and mayo, while Amy got a meatball sub. Matthew couldn't believe it, but he ended up paying for both of theirs. So this was a date. But that didn't make it bad. They were doing something interactive—talking—instead of something not interactive—say, watching a movie.

"Do you come here a lot?" he asked.

"Pretty much. I love it."

"Yeah, it's pretty good."

"Do you?"

"Come here a lot?"

"Mm-hm."

"Uh, no, not really. I don't have a car, so…"

"Do you have a permit?"

"Yeah. But I'm not good at driving…"

"Why?"

"Well, I'm not good at driving _cars._ Motorcycles. That's what I can drive."

Amy adjusted her hair. It was so blond, so beautiful. "So, how're your parents doing?"

"My mom's doing fine."

Silence. "What about your dad?"

"Uh, I don't ever get to see him," he said, trying to make it sound like no big deal.

"When's the last time you did?"

"…Never."

"What do you mean, 'never'?"

"I've never seen him. I don't even know who he is. My mom doesn't seem to know either."

"That's too bad… Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Despite saying that, Matthew was starting to get uncomfortable. "How's your family?"

"Great. My dad just got promoted, and my mom recently got a raise."

"Wow, that's lucky."

"I know, right? And I'm gonna go back to lifeguarding this summer. Are you planning on doing anything?"

"I want to get a job, too. I just don't know what's out there. And I'm only 15."

"You'll find something."

"So where do your parents work?"

"They both work for the law firm."

An easily corruptible place to work, Matthew thought. "That's cool," he said.

"Where does your mom work?"

"She works full-time at the hospital and part-time at a diner."

All they really did was talk. It was a conversation Matthew wished he could have again and again. They talked more about their future plans and what they wanted to do. Amy talked a lot about doing volleyball and cheerleading again next year. Matthew didn't talk about next year that much, other than what classes he was taking. He even made her laugh from time to time. He noticed that her hands were often close to his. She even "accidentally" touched the once. Suddenly they stopped talking and just stared into each other's eyes. Even though it was nerve-wracking, Matthew did his best to not look away and keep that friendly look in his eye.

After ten weird seconds, Matthew finally said, "We better go."

* * *

Amy didn't rush to get to back to school on time. It seemed like she was driving slower than she was on the way to Subway. While she was driving, Matthew was scribbling his cell number on a napkin.

"You wanna do this again sometime?" he asked.

"Definitely."

"Would Monday work?"

"Yes, it will."

When they pulled into the parking lot, they stared at each other deeply again. Matthew could've sworn he felt a spark, and he knew Amy felt it, too. Her head slowly started moving close to his, so he did the same thing. They both closed their eyes… and brushed their lips against one another's. Matthew would've shot off like a rocket if the seatbelt wasn't holding him. Amy smiled coyly as she brought her hand up to his cheek, touching it tenderly. She tenderly wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him into a lip lock. Matthew almost melted. This feeling he was getting… It was so heavenly, so otherworldly. He put a hand on her leg, not knowing what to do with it. She smiled and pushed him back to where he was. Had he done something wrong? He was surprised to see her get on top of him, straddling his hips, and continuing their make-out session. He still wanted to be polite, so neither of them tried anything weird.

"You're a good kisser," she said teasingly, her lips a half-inch away from his.

"Th-thanks… You are, too…"

"Wanna hang out sometime after school?"

"I, um… uh…"

"I just want to kiss you forever," she breathed, stroking his cheek with her thumb.

"But what about school?"

"Screw school," she said.

* * *

Matthew walked home with a little swagger in his step. He guessed he was officially dating Amy Rose. He knew he had missed his afternoon classes, but being with Amy was well worth it.

"Hey, Mom," he called as he entered his house. No answer. Weird. Today was her day off, wasn't it? He took a step forward, then felt an enormous pain in his leg. It hurt so much, he didn't even scream. He collapsed on the ground saw what it was: a tranquilizer. _A tranquilizer?_ He could feel the world slipping away. He saw meny men in black military uniforms, pointing their guns. At him. He could hear his mom's voice.

 _Don't worry, Matt, it's just to make you sleep…_ her voice said. _You're going to be alright…_

* * *

Ivo, Matthew's uncle, was working in his lab when two men with the same uniforms entered.

"How did you…?" he began to ask them.

"Save it, Robotnik."

* * *

Matthew tried to say something, _anything,_ but nothing would come out.

 _Everything's going to be okay,_ Maria's voice said.

* * *

"Uncle of Matthew Martin-Robotnik. Son of Gerald Robotnik. We're possessing your equipment as property of the Guardian Units of Nations."

* * *

 _It's okay, Matthew…_

* * *

"Wuh? How? Why?"

"Just do what we say, or we _will_ use force."

* * *

 _Matthew…_

"Please! NOOOOO!" Ivo screamed.

More men came in. "What's in there?" one of them asked, pointing to a safe.

"N-n-nothing!" said Ivo. "Hon-honest!"

* * *

 _Matt?_

* * *

"It's… a Chaos Emerald!" exclaimed another soldier.

 _Matthew!_

Blackness.


	5. Exhile

Whiteness.

Ivo sat alone in his lab. G.U.N. had cleaned out everything. All of his gadgets, robots, machines… _gone._

"Why would they do this to me?" Ivo said to himself. "What have I done? I didn't deserve this!" He stood up and looked at his desk. The only things remaining there were framed photos, of Maria, Matthew, and his father Gerald. He grabbed the picture of Maria and Matthew, looking at it, remembering the G.U.N. solder saying, _Ivo Robotnik, uncle of Matthew Martin-Robotnik?_ "Wait… Did they do this… because I'm his uncle?" He started to get angry. "The little brat is insignificant!" He threw the picture against the wall, shattering the glass. "What's so important about _him?_ And why did they take my Emerald?" He stomped his foot as he said his next words: "The commander said it was mine!"

Ivo toppled the desk over, crushing his father's photo. "I _will_ find Matthew's importance, and when I do… oh, he'll regret it!" He raised his fist in the air. "I'll rebuild, become stronger than ever! I'll build an empire, then extinguish G.U.N.! No one will stand in my way! And those who do… will burn to ashes! Ho ho ho ho ho!

"Computer!" he shouted. A beep sounded, responding to his voice. G.U.N. hadn't taken away _everything._

"Yes, doctor," said a female, robotic voice.

"It's time for a new machine! I'll call it… the Death Egg Robot! Ho ho ho!"

* * *

Matthew let out a blood-curdling scream. He knew he still had his mouth, which was on his face, which was a part of his head, which was on top of his neck, which was attached to his back, which was set upon his legs. Yet, he couldn't _feel_ his body. Instead, he felt like an empty void, like he wasn't there at all. Where was he, anyway? He could hear something…. It sounded like… an ocean. He could hear seagulls and rolling waves. He could feel the sand beneath his body, and the wind coursing through him. He could smell the sand, too. His breathing was returning to normal… His mouth was dry, and a bitter taste was in his mouth. All he had to do now was open his eyes. But why did it take so much effort to do so? Millimeter by millimeter, his eyelids gradually peeled themselves apart. All he could see was red. Matthew had no energy to freak out. He just waited until his vision became clearer. The seagulls, the waves, the sand… He knew he was at a beach. He closed his eyes again.

His mom's voice seemed to whisper with his the wind.

 _Matthew…_

"M…Mom…" His voice was softer than a breath.

 _It's going to be alright, Matt…_

"M-Mom… Hel…help me…"

 _Matthew… Matt, run!_

"Where… are you…?"

 _Get out of here, Matt! Go!_

"I can't leave… without… you… Ughhhhhh…"

Maria's voice gave Matthew strength. The red in his vision became clear. The beach and its features were seeable as they were tangible. He tried to get up, but was too tired to. He was able to lift his head and look around. He gasped sharply as he saw a wrecked… cell? Cage? It looked like something that could fit in a stasis tube. He got to his knees and tried to remember anything before this. All he could remember was him running down a hall with Maria. Having regained energy, he made his way to the water. He didn't care that it was saltwater, he was thirsty! Parched, he looked at his reflection in the water. What he saw blew him away. He didn't look like himself at all! He looked so outlandish, so non-human, so… _alien._ His entire body, except for the area around his mouth, was covered in black fur. He looked skinnier and slightly cartoony. Quills with red stripes stood out the back of his head. A small tuft of white hair was on his chest. His facial expression looked harsh, like he was pissed off. There was nothing separating his eyes, making it look like he had one eye, also cartoonish. To finish it off, he had a small, black nose.

"What _happened_ to me?" he said aloud. "I look like a monster!"

He grabbed his stomach with his large black hands as he heard it grumble.

"So hungry…" he said in a shaky voice. He looked up at the sky and yelled again. He slammed his fist into the ground, causing a loud _pshhhhhhh…_ So, his new appearance gave him lots of strength.

 _I better start walking, somewhere…_

He looked at the special cage as he walked past it. Looking at it made him angry. He let out a scream of rage and leapt toward it. He kicked it as he came up on it, shattering it to more pieces. The rage… It made him fell heavy, yet light at the same time. The sand in between his toes ticked him off, too. He cursed as he jumped on top of the hill above. The grass felt better. There was a road leading to an interstate. Maybe someone would give him ride to the next town? Highly unlikely. People always feared what they didn't understand. No one would understand him, not like the way he was.

At least 60 cars honked at Matthew as they whooshed past. So, instead of walking along the road, he moved to the tall grass. It would look more natural for a black creature to walk in the tall grass.

Matthew was getting hot. It seemed like he was going nowhere at all. What state was he in, anyway? Was he even in the U.S.? The cars looked American, and the signs were in English. Finally he saw a sign that said a town named Malone was in five miles. Five miles wasn't so bad. He'd already walked at least 100. The sun was starting to set, and the temperature was getting cooler. His legs were getting tired, but he kept on walking and finding new strength. Matthew seemed to have an endless amount of energy with his new look. He remembered that tranquilizer that shot his leg. Did it… give him these powers? Or did something happen while he was out? What was on his mind the most was his mom. Where was she? How could he find her? Was she back in Westopolis?

Matthew finally got to Malone. It was a nice little town. His mind lost from the hunger and thirst, he forgot he looked like a black hedgehog, walking into the open public. Their screams of fear, the way they ran away from him, it ticked him off more. Matthew tried to keep his cool and found his way to a grocery store. Maybe _someone_ would understand… His eyes were glowing red with anger, but he kept his real rage inside. He walked in the store and looked around. It was empty. His stomach growled again. Suddenly, he could hear a helicopter. He heard a voice speak over a megaphone: "Whatever you are, come out now! Slowly!"

Matthew decided he should. He didn't want trouble with these people. Would they let him explain that he was just hungry? Really, _really_ hungry? Matthew was literally _starving._ All he wanted was a loaf of bread.

Matthew stepped outside for them to see. He was surrounded by police and their cars and they were all pointing their guns at him. Animal control was there, too. They apparently didn't know how to confront an anthropomorphic hedgehog. A man with a stick with a hook on the end began steadily creeping up on him. This pissed Matthew off _a lot._ When the man got close enough, Matthew grabbed the stick and hit him with it. The blow sent the man flying. He then jumped on top of a car and began tearing it apart.

"Fire!" a policeman yelled.

All the units began shooting their guns at Matthew. However, the bullets were bouncing off his body instead of killing him. The bullets didn't hurt, but they sure annoyed him. He got off the car, still taking their shots. One policeman right next to him was shooting him in the eye. They bullets just bounced off of it.

Matthew stood up straight and continued to let himself be bombarded with firing. Now it was really starting to make him mad. He could feel rage building up inside him. It even felt like it could be released. He could feel his body starting to glow a crimson light.

" _STOP!_ " Matthew yelled in rage.

"What's it doing!" asked one of the officers.

"Get outta the way!" another one yelled.

Matthew couldn't hold it in any longer. With one final angry roar, he unleashed the anger inside him. It was literally an explosion of crimson light. To Matthew, it felt so good to let it out, and he fell to the ground in exhaustion. He opened his eyes to see everything in the blast radius destroyed. Every police car was ablaze, and very person had been incinerated. Matthew would've taken longer to look at what he'd done, but he heard more sirens in the distance. He had to get out of there.

He was surprised by how athletic he'd become. He leapt over buildings as the cops chased him. He decided he'd confuse them by hiding in an alleyway. He found a corner and curled up there. He then waited for the sirens to fade away. Tears were flowing out of his eyes.

"I killed them…" he sobbed. "I _killed_ them…"

After about a half-hour, Matthew cried himself to sleep. He was still starving, and another long day would await him tomorrow.


	6. To Keep Testing Himself

It was still dark when Matthew awoke. The crickets were chirping, and the smell of the alleyway was setting in. His eyes instantly adjusted to the darkness. He started to breathe heavily as he remembered the events that happened just three or four hours ago. He closed his eyes, trying to envision himself back at his house in Westopolis, trying to hear his mom's voice. He opened his eyes, trying to grasp the vision, trying to make it real. He wanted it to be his reality, not this! He was living in a nightmare! He had to escape! But soon, the vision faded away, and Matthew just sat there, alone.

"Time to get up," he said to himself. He reached his hand out, searching for something to help pull himself up. He eventually gave up, exhausted. Tears were rolling down his little cheeks. Even after a few hours' rest, he had no energy.

He looked at the dumpster he was sitting by. Should he… No, that was disgusting! But it was the only way.

He found a small reserve of strength to stand up. He opened the dumpster, and began digging.

It was impossible to see what he was doing. He dug out anything that smelled decent. He found a paper bag with contents that smelled of McDonald's. Not caring how old it was, he grabbed what was in it and scarfed it down. It still had some flavor, but its texture was nauseating. But he was _so_ hungry. He had to keep eating. He needed the nourishment. The dumpster smelled like a mix of diapers and rotten eggs. He ate anything seemed edible, including fried chicken skins, thrown out leftovers, and disposed restaurant food. After a quite filling meal, Matthew rolled out of the dumpster, no longer starving.

As he lay there, he wondered what to do next. He could either walk or stay hidden. Since it was night, his black fur would make him difficult to see. Could he hide during the day? He hated walking in the sun. But could he still be seen? Where would he hide? The last thing he wanted was to cause another catastrophe. He made a decision: he'd set off, find out where he was, and find a way home.

There weren't very many cars driving on the highway, so Matthew walked on the side of the road instead of in the tall grass. While he walked, he thought about Amy. He had no idea what day of the week it was, but he hoped he would get home by Monday. He had a feeling it was Sunday night… or Monday morning.

 _Damn!_ he thought.

He kept thinking about their kiss. The memory of it was so vivid, like he was reliving it. The way she kissed him felt weird… but good kind of weird. It made him feel safe, like she was protecting him with her embrace.

Matthew remembered what happened in Malone. He remembered jumping around to get away from police. Would that… make his journey quicker? Walking was boring. Not tiring, but boring. Besides, Matthew would never know the limits of his powers if he didn't push himself. So he began a running start. He was surprised by how fast he was going. It was like he instantly went from a jog to a sprint. His legs were carrying him faster than they ever had. He felt like the wind, breezing past without slowing down. He looked at his legs and was surprised to see them moving like a blur. A smile crept on his face he loved this fast feeling. The concrete below his bare feet didn't hurt at all.

He jumped. It wasn't a very big jump, maybe about ten feet high. A little disappointed, Matthew jumped again, this time higher. He jumped again right when he hit the ground, sending him flying.

He jumped again when he landed, and this one cleared at least a mile. He jumped again, this time going two or three miles.

A crazy idea entered his mind…

Could he fly?

He had no idea how, though. He extended his arms forward, doing a Superman stance. It didn't seem to wok, though. He could feel gravity starting to pull him down. His current position was awkward, making him unable to prepare for a hard landing. He spiraled toward the earth, and belly flopped the ground.

The impact formed a small crater. However, Matthew got up, dazed, but otherwise unharmed. Uncaring, he started his jumps again. Okay, so maybe he couldn't fly. But it didn't matter since he had his super-jumps. Jumping felt even better than running. He couldn't help but feel a part of the night sky as he passed through the clouds with the wind beneath his body. It gave him peace, something he really needed.

Matthew stopped to rest when the sun began peeking over the horizon. He'd gone quite far, _much_ farther than walking. He'd followed the path of the interstate the entire time, so he wouldn't get lost. A clump of trees was by the road, so Matthew decided to hide there. When he got there, he vomited everything he'd eaten from the dumpster.

It was a couple hours later, and the sun had made it to the sky, giving it a bright blue. Matthew heard a strange noise. It sounded like a semi, but it was right outside the trees. The black hedgehog decided to check it out. He climbed a nearest tree to get a good look. He held in a gasp when he saw a tank hanging around by the road, which was being blocked off by two more tanks and a black hummer. It didn't take long for Matthew to put 2 and 2 together.

"They're here for me," he growled. "Who are these guys?"

People in black military uniforms were walking around, talking amongst themselves. They looked exactly like the people who raided his home. There was one man, however, who was not wearing a black uniform, and instead was wearing a green commander's suit. Matthew had a feeling he was their leader.

Someone spoke out of a megaphone. "Matthew! We're know you're there! Come out _peacefully!_ "

 _Like hell,_ Matthew thought, starting to get the familiar feeling of rage. How did these people know he was Matthew? He looked completely different than what he used to be, like he was an entirely new being! But he remembered the destruction he caused in Malone. He didn't want a fight like last time. He jumped down and emerged from the trees.

"Put your hands up!" shouted the commander.

Matthew ignored him. He continued walking toward them, reading the letters on their uniforms, which were G, U, and N. G.U.N.? He'd heard of them. They were also called the Guardian Units of Nations, weren't they? Now he was feeling a little intimidated.

"Who are you, and how do you know I'm Matthew?" he asked.

"We are G.U.N., and I'm the G.U.N. Commander, remember?"

Matthew made a face. "What do you mean by 'remember'?"

"What, you don't remember us, Matt?"

"No," said Matthew. "All I know is your punks broke into my house and put me to sleep, and I woke up on a beach. I've been taking care of myself since then."

"And how's that working out for you?" the commander jabbed.

Matthew didn't flinch. "Did you do this to me?" he asked.

"In a way, yes. Please surrender, so we can avoid a fight."

The irises of Matthew's eyes began to glow as his rage built up. "No, not until you answer me! Where's my mom?!"

"You sound like a little kid. You're 15."

" _Where is she?! What did you do to her?! What did you do to ME?!_ "

"Please, liste-"

The commander was cut short when Matthew leaped off the ground, toward him. As Matthew came down, he threw a punch, but the commander moved out of the way, causing Matthew to punch the ground instead.

"Engage!" the commander shouted.

The G.U.N. soldiers fired their tank machine guns at Matthew, but the same thing from before happened: the bullets just bounced off his body. Matthew jumped on the nearest tank and unleashed a barrage of punches on the soldier on it. The soldier was knocked unconscious, Matthew's eyes were still glowing red. He looked at another tank, shooting red-colored beams at it. It instantly exploded, killing the soldier in it. Another person killed…

Another soldier was shooting him from a different tank. Unable to control it, Matthew shot his Beam Vision at that one, too. He saw the G.U.N. Commander hiding behind a hummer. Matthew moved his hand liked he was throwing a ball, and threw a Chaos Spear at him, but the commander evaded it in time. Matthew was extremely angry by now. Now all he wanted was to crush the commander, but had to resist. He need to fight his rage. With a loud scream of misery, he forced himself to super-jump away.

The commander watched as the black-haired hedgehog leap away and fade into the sky. He knew he'd created a monster.

* * *

Amy had always wondered what happened to Matthew. He'd been gone for a week now, and she never heard from him. One day, she went to his house check up on him. After knocking for 15 minutes, she decided to just go in. To her surprise, the house was completely empty. No TV, no furniture, no tables, no Matthew. Okay, so he moved away without telling her? What a dick.

She decided she would tell her friends about it when they were at the mall.

"Why would he not tell me?" she asked.

"Did he tell anyone?" asked her best friend, whose nickname was Cream.

"I don't know. No one seems to notice he's gone."

"Maybe you scared him off?"

Amy brushed her hair out of her eyes. "What? No. He would've just said something, wouldn't he? I mean, he's a nice guy. Or he was. I don't know…"

Cream shrugged. She was two years younger than Amy. "Well, he's history now. Move on. Look, there's some guy behind us staring at you."

Amy turned slightly, seeing a grown man staring at her creepily.

"No way," she said. They both laughed.

"But, I liked Matt," she continued. "He was… different. In a good way. He cared about me, unlike those other douchebags. Like, he really wanted to get to know me, and I could definitely tell he was into me."

"So why'd he leave?" Cream asked.

Amy glared at her. Then she heard someone calling her name. It was a boy's voice. Could it be… Matthew? She looked around to see who it was. It was just Richard, the start of the football team. He had three girls with him, too, all of them friends of Amy. Except for Richard, they came with Amy and Cream to the mall. They'd left previously to get a soda.

"Amy, Richard's having a party at his place tonight," said the first girl. "You should come."

Amy looked at Cream, who was giving her a look that said, "Don't do it."

Amy needed something to forget about Matthew. Almost all of the juniors and seniors were at the party. As soon as she got there, someone handed her a red plastic cup. Not caring what was in it, she gulped it down. It didn't take too much talking to convince her parents into letting her go. All she did was tell them she was going to a movie, and her parents trusted her. She didn't go to too many parties like this. She wasn't really the "party girl" type. She love get-togethers, but none like this. She came to the part with a mission: get hammered. Soon Matthew really would be a thing of the past.

But for some reason, she only drank two cups of the mysterious punch. The party was getting wild. Too wild. Someone had apparently brought a crowbar, and they were smashing holes into the wall. Another person was throwing toilet paper around, and someone else was ruining the walls with spraypaint. Amy found Richard and asked him what was going on.

With bloodshot eyes, he answered with a slur," We're just havin' some funamy. Lighten upalittle, will ya?"

"These guys are ruining your house!" she protested.

"Getoffmyass, will ya?" he slurred.

Amy found her friends. "We're leaving," she told them. "Now."

"Nooooo…!" one of them whined. All three of them were drunk.

"Stay 'n' partyyy…" the third one droned.

"Whatever," Amy said, rolling her eyes. "I'm going. I was supposed to be home an hour ago."

With that, she left, bawling. She didn't know why she was crying. She just was. Maybe it was because she had to walk home since someone from the party totaled her car. But it was probably because she realized that she missed Matthew. He and Cream were her only friends, not like those drunk whores. Right now, all she wanted was to be with her Matt.

The ground trembled, but only for a second, like an extremely quick earthquake. Then silence. Then it trembled again. Then silence. Then it trembled again. It felt like there was a giant walking. The steps started making noise.

 _Crash._

 _Crash._

 _Crash._


	7. Why Am I Like This?

_The Next Morning…_

A man and his wife were at a bank, which turned out to be mob-owned. They were there to get a loan, but they were failing.

"You see, you need a cosigner," the banker told them. "We need to know that _somebody_ will pay us back."

"Well, what about one of us?" the man asked.

The banker shook his head, resisting the urge to smirk. These people were so desperate… If the bank was the way it was back in the day, they could get their loan without a cosigner. "Your credit," he said, "does not exist."

They were silent for a moment. "So, we can't get a loan…" the man said.

The banker wadded up his face, pretending to feel bad. "That's the way it looks…"

The bank shook for a split second. People immediately stopped talking, making the bank completely silent. It shook again, and the roof began to collapse. Pounds and pounds of rubble and debris fell on top of people. The roof finally gave in, revealing the sky, and something else… a giant, sphere-shaped robot that looked like a bald person with a large mustache. Its body was red, except for a yellow "collar" around the head.

"Behold, the Death Egg Robot!" shouted a voice. Many smaller robots flew out of the Death Egg Robot. It jumped into the bank, with two yellows on the back that held it "fly" and land safely. The banker & the man and his wife were killed.

* * *

Matthew, still in his black hedgehog form, finally made it home. Super-jumping made his journey only last a day. It had been the most difficult time in his life, but he pulled through. He was proud of himself for that. Of course, it was thanks to his newly acquired appearance. This new form gave him strength to get through this trip.

Matthew wondered why using his powers felt so natural. His Chaos Blast, his Chaos Spear, his Beam Vision… Using his powers felt like moving his body—all he had to do was do it. But these powers… They were a curse to him. All he did with them was destroy innocent lives and scare people. He became top news in Florida, where Malone was. Everyone was looking for him, albeit not knowing how to handle something that wasn't even human. But Matthew knew he was still human. All he had to do was find someone who could reverse what happened to him. But where would he find someone like that?

After super-jumping around the city for a bit, Matthew found his house in the suburbs. He landed with a loud _crash_ , shattering a small area of the street he landed on. His entire body was sore, not just his feet. He straightened himself and looked at his house. Even by looking at the outside he could tell it was empty inside. It didn't look like anyone was watching, so he stepped inside. He almost had the urge to say, "Mom, I'm home!" like he always did.

The house was completely empty. Everything was gone. The dinner table was gone, the cabinets were empty, and both his & Maria's rooms were empty.

"Mom?" called Matthew. No answer. She wasn't there. If she wasn't there, then where else would she be? Matthew put his hands over his face and cried. He was truly alone. He didn't know where his mom was, and he didn't know where his uncle was. Hell, he hardly ever saw his uncle.

"Hello, Matthew," said a voice. The hedgehog shot up and saw a man standing over him. He was bald and wore an old labcoat, and he had a mustache similar to Uncle Egg Man's, only it was gray.

"Who are you?" Matthew asked.

"The man ignored the question. "I must say, it was stupid if you to come back here. Understandable, but stupid."

"Who are you?!"Matthew asked again, this time much more forcefully. The irises of his eyes began to glow, ready to use Beam Vision on the mysterious man.

The old man scoffed. "Come, come, Matthew. Are you _really_ thinking about killing your _grandfather?_ "

Matthew's eyes immediately died down. "My… my what?"

"My name is Gerald Robotnik, and I am your grandfather."

"Wh-what? You… you can't be!" Matthew began to back away from him, even though there really wasn't a reason to.

Gerald gave him a warm smile. "I am. Now, I'm sure you have many questions for me."

Questions? Questions… That's right! Matthew had questions! Didn't he?

"Um… H-how'd you find me?" he asked.

The professor chuckled. "Well, haven't you heard? 'Shadow The Hedgehog' has become a nationwide phenomenon. You're on every new channel, I'm afraid. So, I decided to stake out here, knowing you'll one day turn up."

It made sense. Matthew's next question: "Where's my mom? What've the done with her?"

"By 'they' I assume you mean G.U.N.? "

"Yeah…"

"Well, I'm afraid I don't know. I'm sure they're keeping her safe."

"But, they tranquilized me, and when I woke up, I was by this container thing. You don't know anything about that?"

Gerald shook his head. "Any more questions?"

"Yeah… Why?"

"…What do you mean?"

"Why? Why am I like this? What's so special about me? Why'd this have to happen to _me?_ My life was great, and now _it's completely screwed up!_ " His eyes began to glow a again.

The professor began walking toward him. A brave move. "Matthew, I can understand how you fee-"

"How I feel? No! You! _Can't!_ Tell me! Tell me why I'm like this!" Tears started to flow out of Matthew's eyes.

Gerald sighed. It was painful to see his grandson like this. "You see, Matt…"

" _TEEEELLLLLLL MEEEEEEEE!_ "

The professor reached into one of his coat's pocket and threw some photos at Matthew's feet. "Those pictures!" he shouted. "Look at them! That's what you looked like when you first _came out of your mother's womb!_ "

Breathing heavily, Matthew picked up the photos. They were pictures of a baby that looked a lot like the way Matthew was at the moment. Black fur (except for the mouth area), red stripes on his head, and white streak of hair on his chest.

"H-how?" he asked. "How is this… even possible?" He dropped the photos, mortified by them.

"Your father was a creature known as Black Doom, a member of the Black Arms. He's an alien."

"An… alien?"

The professor nodded. "That's all I know about him. He gave me a piece of his DNA, and I mutated it with a human male's DNA, then gave it to Maria like a donor. The egg cells and the sperm cells accepted one another, despite being completely different, and that's how you came to be.

"Now, Matthew, I have something I think you'll like." The professor reached into his other pocket and pulled out four large gold rings.

"What're those?" Matthew asked.

"They're Inhibitor Rings. They'll help you control your power." He put the first two on Matthew's wrists, and the other two on his ankles. Matthew shuddered, and with a dim flash of red light, he felt himself become his normal self again.

Matthew was now in a gray, skintight unitard. "How'd I get in this?" he asked.

The professor shrugged. "Now, you've haven't gone completely normal. Those Inhibitors just let your control your power. And about your clothes… They go away once you're Shadow—or whatever you'll call yourself—but they return when you're Matt. Same with the Inhibitors."

"How do I switch back and forth?" Matthew asked.

"I don't know everything, Matt. Now, the media has a pretty bad image on you. I suggest you change that."

"Hmph. I'd say. But how?"

"The bank in the east side of the city is being robbed. Might I suggest you stop it?"

"But… what about you?" Matthew asked.

"I'll await your return here," said the professor. "No one expects me to be here anyway."

"G.U.N.'s looking for you, aren't they?"

"They have been for the past 15 years."

"Huh… So, when I'm back to my normal self, I won't be… naked?"

"No. You'll be in that fancy unitard."

Matthew took a deep breath. "It's good to see you, Grandpa," he said before stepping out of the house.

A cool breeze hit him as he stepped onto the street. It felt good to be human again, but now something needed to be done. He felt himself transform, and he leapt away as Shadow The Hedgehog.


	8. Encounter with Eggman

Dr. Eggman had gotten out of the cockpit of the Death Egg Robot and was now in his Eggmobile, loading cash into the back of the robot like the trunk of a car… only bigger. Egg Fighters were outside the bank combating police. Some were in the bank with Eggman. The bank had so much money, _two_ vaults were needed. Eggman was almost finished cleaning out the first vault, while a few Egg Launchers were busting down the door to the second vault. The total amount of money would give Eggman endless possibilities for building… He would be able to have robots stronger than before, powerful weapons, and even complete ships! But most importantly, he could build the ultimate weapon that he'd been dreaming of for a long time, a weapon that could make his dream of his utopia Eggmanland a reality. Then G.U.N. would pay…

A loud _thud_ sounded as the door to the second vault collapsed. The Egg Launchers and Egg Fighters hurried in and began loading the Death Egg Robot with even more money. The robot be able to handle the weight. Once the second vault was empty, Eggman issued the order "Move out!" and the robots prepared to leave.

Egg Launchers were now joining the battle outside. Policemen were firing their guns, but their bullets hardly did anything to the robots. The Launchers would fire missiles, causing police cars to explode and fly yards away. It was a war zone. The back of the Death Egg Robot closed, and the jets started to fire up. Eggman and the Eggmobile returned to the cockpit, now in control of the robot. Its arms were raised to shoulder level, and it began to walk, crushing any Fighter, Launcher, and car that got stuck in its path. People were running away, scared out of their lives, not wanting to get stepped on.

"Time to show these people what it's like to lose everything!" the doctor said. The robot aimed an arm at an apartment building, and suddenly the arm extended, plowing into the building The arm moved in a sweeping motion, destroying the building more. Eggman laughed while the arm came back to its normal length.

A woman was caught in between two semi trucks, and a thrird was blocking her path, making her stuck. She watched in horror as the robot walked toward, then seemed to look down at her. It pointed an arm at her, ready to fire. The woman lied on the ground and curled up, prepared to die. The robot fired its arm…

…but two red beams of light hit the arm as it fired, causing it to recoil back.

"What was that?!" Eggman yelled. "Hmph! I'll just try again." He aimed the arm at the woman one more time and fired, but a black creature jumped in its path and caught it just before it hit the woman. It was none other than Matthew in his Shadow form. With a loud yell, Shadow pushed the arm back, making the robot go a few yards off the ground.

"What was _that?_ " the doctor asked himself again. Whatever he was, he was strong enough to catch the Death Egg Robot's arms! He had to be eliminated… The robot stood up and stomped its foot, challenging Shadow. It fired its arm at him, but he caught it. With a long strained groan, he struggled to keep it from crushing him. The longer he did, the more his rage would build. He started pushing back, but the robot fired its second arm and landed a clean hit on Shadow. He lay on the street, motionless. He managed to get on one knee, but suddenly it was dark. It was the robot's shadow! The hedgehog tried jumping out of the way, but it was no use. The Death Egg Robot landed on top of Shadow with enough force to flatten a car. His eyes glowing, he clumsily got up. This thing was tough. Who was controlling it? The mustache on the robot reminded Shadow of Uncle Ivo. He was unaware that Uncle Ivo—Dr. Eggman—was controlling it.

Rage still building up, Shadow watched the robot taunt him. That did it. He used his super-jump to tackle the robot in its stomach area, sending them both flying. Shadow had caused a sonic boom with his jump. The tackle didn't seem to hurt the robot. With his strength, he pushed the robot on the ground, doing a barrel roll as it landed. The robot got up, sustaining only scrape marks all over its body.

"Your efforts are futile, you little black rat!" the robot said through Eggman.

Just then, Shadowrealized that the robot was Ivo's. _He_ had robbed the bank? Impossible… Uncle Egg Man would never do that, would he? It couldn't be him…

The Death Egg Robot's jets began to fire up. It was going to fly away!

"So long, you nasty little pincushion!" Eggman said. With a loud _poooooom_ the robot started to rise from the ground.

"W-wait!" Shadow said. He went after the robot, jumping and grabbing on to its foot.

"You can handle my attacks," said Eggman, "but can you handle the harshness of space?"

Shadow looked down, but the clouds blocked his view, not allowing him to see anything. He started climbing the robot, hoping he'd find where Eggman was controlling it. The sky started turning from blue to black. Breathing became difficult, and a wave of exhaustion coursed through his body. He was losing. Unable to continue, Shadow let go, falling back into the atmosphere. As he spiraled back to Earth, he fought for consciousness. He started feeling warm. He was becoming a fireball. His body could take endless amounts of damage, but it couldn't take space?

People gathered around the spot Shadow landed in. The impact made a giant hole. He took a few to lie there, to breathe, then attempted getting up. He could feel people's eyes on him. They were just staring at him, not thinking about anything. Just staring. He believed they were looking at him with hate. Unable to take any more of their staring, he yelled and super-jumped away.

* * *

"I failed," Shadow, back in his normal form, said.

"How?" Gerald asked.

"He… got away."

He was back in his house with his grandfather. Matthew had made it back uninjured.

"I don't suppose you know where he went, do you?" Gerald asked.

Matthew shook his head.

"Well, I guess it's hard to battle robots your first time…" Gerald said.

"I have more questions," Matthew said.

"I'm sure you do," Gerald said. "Tomorrow, though. Are you going to school tomorrow?"

"Wasn't planning on it."

"Come to Central City, then. I have something I'd like to give you."

"What?"

The professor winked. "Something I know you'll like."

"Wait, I can't go with you? Where will I sleep? How will I eat? I'm starving!"

"Temper, temper. I'm sure you have a friend you can stay with. Till then…" Gerald waved goodbye and walked out the door.

Now that Matthew though about it, he _did_ have someone he could stay with…


	9. Solace

It was 9 p.m. Amy was at her house, watching TV. She was wearing a tight black tank top and striped pajama pants. She hadn't done much since the party. Luckily her parents, who were now in their bed, sleeping, never found out where she actually went. Since they were sleeping when she got home, they assumed she'd gotten home when she was supposed to.

Amy got up and went to the refrigerator for a yogurt. She picked a strawberry flavored and almost sat down when she heard a knock on the door. Who could be here at this time of night, she wondered? She was tempted to run upstairs and go to bed, not answering the door at all. But she didn't. She quickly fixed her blond hair as she made her way to the door. The person there completely shocked her.

It was Matthew.

Matthew had remembered the address she gave him. It was a long walk from his house to hers, but he made it. He looked at Amy with a tired and hopeless expression, because he _was_ tired and hopeless. Without a word, they embraced each other and locked lips. But Amy pulled away as she tasted his breath.

Matthew cleared his throat. "Um, hey," he said.

"Hey," she said back. "What happened to you? Why are you wearing… that?" she asked, pointing out his black unitard.

"It… It's a long story," he said. "I… I just…"

"Come inside," Amy said, taking his hand.

He walked in the house with her. "I, uh… Can… can I have something to eat? Please?"

"What happened to you?" Amy asked again.

It was then that Matthew was faced with a touch decision. He could tell Amy what really happened to him, or he could lie. The last thing he wanted was for her to find out he was the dreaded Shadow The Hedgehog. If he lied, what would he say? He covered his face with his hands, on the brink of crying. "I don't if I can…" he said.

"Just tell me," she said soothingly, coming to side and wrapping her arms around him.

He knew he had enough evidence to lie. His mom was gone, his house was empty, and he was on his own. He took a deep breath and avoided eye contact with Amy as he told her his made-up story:

"Okay… These guys… they broke into my house… They drugged me. They… They… My mom…"

"You don't have to tell me any more," she whispered, running her fingers through his grimy black hair.

"When I woke up," he continued, "I was in this—" he motioned at his unitard—"and I was on the side of the road." He was crying now. "I haven't eaten or brushed my teeth or anything since then."

"Shhh… You can stay here," Amy said, trying to look in his eyes. "I'll get you something to eat. Stay here."

As she left for the kitchen, Matthew realized he hadn't lied at all; he only left out the hedgehog part. His house _had_ been broken into. He _had_ been drugged. He didn't exactly wake up on the side of a road, but he _did_ wake up _close_ to one. These things made him feel better. But did they take his mom? He was sure of it. Next time she saw G.U.N., he would flatten them until they gave her back to him. He sat down on the couch, still teary eyed.

All negative thoughts about Matthew had been erased from Amy's mind. She thought he moved away, but it was much worse. His life had been taken away from him, and now he was all alone. No one deserved that, especially Matthew. The criminals of Westopolis had gone too far. Who knows what they were doing his mother? Rape? Torture? Death?

She returned with a leftover pork chop. She set the plate on the coffee table in front of him, but he only stared at it. Finally, something edible…

"Go ahead," Amy said. Matthew quickly grabbed it and greedily scarfed it down, not bothering to cut it up and eat it slowly. Amy sat by his side and pulled him into a loving hug.

"Are you going to be okay?" she asked him.

"…I don't know," he replied truthfully.

"Well, you can stay here, with me, for as long as you want. Mom and Dad will understand."

"Thank you," he said in an appreciative yet shaky tone. "Thank you so much." He rested his head on her shoulder and cried on it.

"Do you need anything else?" she asked. Without waiting for an answer, she said, "Why don't you get in the shower, and I'll get some of my dad's clothes for you?"

"You... You sure?"

"I'm sure."

"What if they don't understand? What if they-"

"They will," she assured him, dragging her fingers along his back.

A sigh of relaxation escaped his lips. "Okay, I guess I'll go, then. Where's the bathroom?"

"Down the hall, to the left."

"Okay." Matthew got up and headed to the bathroom. It was very nice and modern. There were two sinks, and the shower was huge. Matthew closed the door and stripped. He stepped in the shower and turned it on, letting the warm water wash over him. It felt so good. He couldn't even remember his last shower. It was at his house, and that's all he knew. The Roses' showerhead was quite large. It felt like it was raining on him. He just stood there, starting to fall asleep standing up. Soon his vision got cloudy from all the steam. He didn't realize how hot it was getting. He looked at the clock in the bathroom and cursed, realizing he'd been in there for over an hour. He quickly washed his hair and his body and got out. Some socks, a T-shirt, some pajama pants, and some underwear were waiting for him on the sink counter. A new toothbrush and toothpaste were there also. The unitard was gone. He put on the clothes and brushed his teeth for five minutes wanting them to be as clean as possible.

Amy was on the couch, waiting for him. She'd gotten a pillow and a blanket for him. She smiled when she saw him. He tried to smile back but couldn't.

"Ahem," a voice said. Matthew looked to see Amy's parents standing there. They didn't look too happy.

"We'll let you stay just for tonight," Amy's dad said. "Do you have any family?"

"Yeah," Matthew said, trying his best to be polite. "My grandpa, in Central City."

Amy spoke up. "I'll take him," she said before her parents could say anything.

"Good," said her father. With that, he walked off to bed.

"I'm sorry for your loss, dear," her mother said before she followed her husband. "No one should go through what you're going through."

"Thank you," said Matthew. After she'd left, he sat down by Amy. "So… I'll sleep here tonight?"

"Well, actually," Amy said, "I was thinking, you know, after awhile, when my parents are asleep, you could sleep in my room with me."

Matthew furrowed his brow. "With you? Am I allowed to do that?"

"Well… no. But you don't want to sleep on this small couch, do you?"

"I guess not… I don't know…"

"We won't do anything… _weird,_ if that's what you're wondering."

Matthew nodded his head. "Well… Alright."

When it was midnight, Amy took Matthew to her room. It wasn't as girly as he thought it'd be. There was a desk, a closet, a mirror in the corner, and king-sized bed. Amy took his hand and practically threw him onto the bed. She crawled on beside him and got under the covers. Matthew figured he should do the same.

"This is, um… a nice bed," he said awkwardly. He spoke in a whisper.

"Thank you," she whispered back, pressing her body against his side and wrapping her arms around him. They lay there in a long silence.

"I'm scared, Amy," Matthew said, breaking the silence.

"I know you are," she said. "And I'm scared _for_ you."

"Do you think my mom's… dead?"

Amy hesitated. "You have to hope for the better," she said. "Soon things will be back to normal. I promise."

Matthew almost laughed. She didn't know what happened to him. She didn't know about Shadow The Hedgehog. Things could never get back to normal.

She kissed his cheek while caressing the other. "Get some rest, Matt. Tomorrow we'll go to Central and meet your grandpa or whoever."

While Amy was sleeping, Matthew just lied there. It felt like hundreds of things were going through his mind. G.U.N., Maria, Gerald, Shadow, Amy... Now the desire of finding out more of who he was was poking at him.

* * *

When Amy woke up, Matthew was gone.


	10. Matthew's Lab

Even though they were far apart, Westopolis and Central City were closely associated with each other. Westopolis was always compared to Central City. Central City was not as rich as Westopolis, but it had a more stable infrastructure. Its crime rate was much lower. Its citizens had more opportunities. Its people were safer. If anyone wanted to escape the harshness of Westopolis but wanted to stay in the city environment, Central City was the way to go. There was also a third city… Empire City, but it was on the other side of the country.

Matthew was in his Shadow form, super-jumping on the as-the-crow-flies route to Central City. He almost landed on something important, like a car, a couple of times, but it didn't matter to him. It was a cloudy day. The clouds weren't as black as they were in Westopolis, the city of dark. The clouds in Central City, the city of light, had a bluish hue, like it would rain. As Shadow got closer, he felt the air become cooler. He could smell the rain forming in the clouds. He always loved rain. He wondered what it'd feel like if he flew into it. Once he landed on the ground, he put extra effort into his next super-jump. Once he gained incredible height, his vision became blurred by the clouds. His black hair instantly became wet. But Shadow felt something. It was that weak feeling he'd gotten at the end of his battle with Eggman. The rain felt like it was weighing him down. Unprepared, Shadow hurdled towards the ground. _Not again,_ he thought.

He crash-landed into the paved road below. This landing was more painful than the last. Still weak, he struggled t roll over on his back. He looked at his handed and watch as water dripped off of it. The rain… was that what made him weak the last time, too? He clenched his fist, feeling the rage burn inside him. The water had mostly dried off now, and Shadow got up. Lightning flashed above him.

"I better get moving if I want to outrun this rain," he said to himself. "But… how did the rain do that? Does it really… weaken me?"

He decided super-jumping was too dangerous. He could see the Central City skyline. He used his fast running speed to get there. It wasn't as fast as super-jumping, but it got the job done.

He wondered what it was that Gerald wanted to give him. He said Matthew would really like it. What he wanted more than anything was a way to find his mother. He wondered what she was doing right then, but nothing came to mind. She could be anywhere, he thought.

Shadow wondered how he would find his grandpa. He hadn't given him any directions, and place where they'd meet, or where he lived. Once he was in Central City, he found an alley and transformed back into his regular Matthew self. He was wearing sweat pants and a hoodie… courtesy of Amy's dad, who he stole them from. Matthew wanted money, so he could buy food and clothing. He stepped out of the alley and felt a raindrop fall on his head. More lightning flashed in the clouds, and soon a downpour commenced. Matthew prepared himself for the weak feeling but never got it. No one was around, so Matthew turned into Shadow, and immediately fell to his knees. Each raindrop actually _hurt,_ making it the first time Matthew had ever felt pain as Shadow. He was lying flat on his stomach now, groaning in misery. He put all of his energy into turning back to Matthew. It was hard, but he eventually succeeded. The weight of the rain was lifted, and Matthew felt fine. _Weird,_ he thought. _Is water… my weakness?_ He laughed. _Water hurts me, but not guns._

"Stay away from water when you're Shadow," said a voice. Matthew turned to see Gerald in the alleyway.

"Grandpa! How'd you find me?" Matthew asked.

"I just did," Gerald said mysteriously. He signaled to Matthew. "Come here. We're going to my lab."

"Lab?" Matthew followed him without further questioning. It was a long walk in the rain, but soon they came to a desert-like area behind the city.

Gerald pointed to the ground. "There."

"Where?" Matthew asked.

" _There._ " The professor then chuckled. "It's a genius spot to put my lab. Look close to the spot on the ground."

Matthew did. There was a hexagon-shaped crack in the ground, probably the size of the trunk of a tree.

"Put your hand on it," Gerald instructed.

Matthew cautiously reach for the piece of ground. He carefully touched it with his fingertips. The piece started to glow. Now Matthew figured it out.

"You have an underground lab?" he asked.

The professor shook his head. "You do."

"Huh?"

The panel stopped glowing and made a clicking sound.

"Now step on it," Gerald said.

Matthew obeyed. He slowly took a step on it. Nothing happened.

"Both feet," Gerald said. "It's weight activated."

"But what's to stop someone from standing on this spot and getting in?"

"That's why you have to touch it."

Matthew put both feet on the panel. It made another clicking sound, then started to lower. Matthew was surprised at first, but how else would he get into the lab. He stood there as he sank into darkness. The panel stopped and made a _pshhh_ sound. The natural light revealed a hand scanner.

"Step off it for it to go back up!" the professor yelled from above.

Matthew blindly did. The panel click again and started to rise. It was dark for a second, but then the panel lowered again with Gerald on it.

"You're going to love this place," Gerald said after stepping off the panel. He put his hand on the scanner. When it was finished recognizing, a computer voice said, "Welcome."

"Change DNA recognition," said Gerald.

The computer voice paused. "Accepted. Please place new hand on scanner for new recognition."

"That's you," Gerald said to Matthew.

The teen paused before placing his hand on the scanner. Was this lab going to be his _completely?_ When the machine was finished scanning, the computer voice said, "New DNA recognized. Welcome, Matthew Martin."

Matthew smiled. The door to the lab opened, revealing a white room full of machines.

"Here's what I also wanted to give you," said the professor, pointing to a pair of gloves and shoes on a table. "They should make your life… easier."

"What're they for?" Matthew asked.

"They're your Shadow The Hedgehog attire. I made them myself." They were white gloves with black & red cuffs and white shoes with rockets on the bottom.

Matthew turned into Shadow and removed his Inhibitor Rings. He felt enormous power surge through his veins.

"Ergh," he grunted.

Gerald helped him get his things on. Shadow put his Inhibitors back on over the gloves and boots.

"What do these do?" Shadow asked, turning back into Matthew.

"Well, the gloves just go with the boots, but the boots are special. They're called Hover Shoes. They allow to stick to walls, to fly, and to go around like roller skates," said the professor.

"Roller skates? Huh."

"Let me give you the tour." Gerald pointed to a wall line with… guns? Matthew was in heaven. "Those the guns… pistols, machine guns, rifles, what have you."

"Is that a bazooka?" Matthew asked, pointing to a long gun with a missile sticking out.

"Oh, you wouldn't be interested in that." Gerald pushed a red button, opening the wall. Matthew came face-to-face with the most badass motorcycle he'd ever seen. The moment was too short, as Gerald closed the wall.

"That room has the bike and the extra ammo," he said quickly. "Now to the Chaos Room."

Matthew was staring off into space, with a look in his eye.

"Matthew?" Gerald said.

* * *

Shadow propelled down the interstate with his new Hover Shoes. The boosted his running speed, and it looked like he really was roller skating. The adrenaline pumped through his veins, fueling his excitement. A car almost ran over him—or maybe he almost ran over the car—but he pounced over it and continued going. He jumped, and the shoes made a blasting sound, and he was flying. Now he truly felt free. The rain had stopped, and now the sky was clear and blue. Flying was much easier than he thought. L he had to do was maneuver his body correctly. He flew between the skyscrapers of Westopolis.

He landed and started running again, looking like he was skating. He easily maneuvered through traffic and sidestepped in between cars. A semi was coming up in the intersection, but Shadow slid under it and continued his run. He jumped and started another flight. People watched in amazement. A black creature that was flying…

He flew straight into the sky, picking up speed and causing a sonic boom behind him. He began laughing, loving this free feeling. The sky started turning black. He was flying into space. If he was part alien, he should've been able to be in space, right? Shadow closed his eyes and continued flying. Soon he started feeling cold. His hair started getting frosty, but not very much. He opened his eyes and saw stars. He looked down and saw the world below him. The sun shined brightly in front of him. He closed his eyes, feeling its power. He opened his eyes and blasted off back to Earth. He swore he could feel himself breaking the sound barrier as he went. Westopolis became visible, and he made a dangerous J-shaped turn just before crashing to the ground. He knew one thing: he loved flying.

* * *

Gerald was outside the lab, waiting for Matthew to return. He had said, "I'll be back, Grandpa!" then abruptly left. He was probably just excited to try out his Hover Shoes. He heard a big boom coming from the sky. Yes, that was Matt.

But something else fell from the sky. It was a giant red robot with a massive energy cannon on its right arm and a drill on its left.

"Ho ho ho!" a voice boomed. "The Egg Dragoon!"

The robot seemed to look down at Gerald, who was shaking in his spot. "F-Father?"

Gerald recognized the voice. "Ivo?"

Eggman was seen in the cockpit, controlling the Egg Dragoon. "No one calls me that anymore. I know you have a Choas Emerald, Father. Hand it over!"

"…Never."

Eggman blinked. "Don't make me kill you. Wait, you're associated with those G.U.N. freaks aren't you?"

"N-no!" Gerald said, falling to his knees. "N-not anymore, I swear!"

"Liar!" The cannon split into five min-cannons and started rotating. "You're a liar!"

"And you are a madman and a fool!" Gerald yelled. "I will not give you the Chaos Emerald. You will use it for whatever tyranny you have planned."

"Silence!" Eggman screamed. The mini-cannons formed into one again. The Egg Dragoon raised the cannon, and slammed it on Gerald…

Instantly killing him.

Eggman immediately regretted what he'd done. "Father? Father!" he yelled.

Gerald lay there in a twisted position, his eyes open as well as his mouth. A piece of his glasses had gotten in his eye. Unable to look any longer, Eggman flew away, yelling in sorrow.

A tear dropped from Gerald's eye.


	11. Death

Now Shadow felt truly alive. He had more powers now, along with his Chaos Blast, Chaos Spear, and Beam Vision. Now he could protect the loved ones he had left. Now he could save people. Shadow The Hedgehog would rebuild and no longer destroy. Now he could be the hero.

He'd fallen in love with the Hover Shoes. He had achieved full power with them. He could now fly and run faster. Flying was so desirable. Who didn't want to fly? All Shadow wanted to do was fly laps upon laps around the globe. He remembered that he hadn't thanked Gerald properly for the Hover Shoes and gloves. He landed on the ground and sped off to the lab.

Gerald Robotnik was lying next to the panel that went to the underground lab. His torso had been twisted gorily, and his arms looked twisted as well.

"G-Gerald?" Shadow asked. No answer. What happened? Was Gerald…? No, impossible! Shadow ran to his grandfather's side and knelt beside him. His injuries were severe. So severe, that…

"Gerald!" Shadow shouted. The irises of his eyes started glowing like they always did whenever he felt strong emotions. He rolled Gerald onto his back and started pumping his chest with the palm of his hands, attempting CPR. Was he doing it right? He put his ear to Gerald's chest and listed for a heartbeat, but there was nothing.

" _Grandpa!_ " Shadow shouted. " _Wake up! Please!_ " With a yell of rage and desperation, Shadow slammed his fist into the ground. He lay his head on his grandfather's body and cried.

"I'm so sorry, Grandpa," he sobbed. "I was so stupid… I never should've left… It's… it's all my fault, Grandpa…! I'm so sorry!" Shadow clutched Gerald's limp hand with his own.

"Why did I leave you?" he sobbed, a little more quit now. "I was so selfish, so stupid… I'm sorry, Grandpa… Who? Who did this to you?"

He turned into Matthew and rolled over onto his back, feeling the blazing sun's heat on his face. Matthew had lost the will to live. It didn't matter who killed Gerald. Matthew felt like it was he who killed his grandfather. If he'd just stayed put, this wouldn't have happened.

Yet, Matthew decided to keep living. He carried his dead grandfather deeper into the desert. When he felt it was far enough, he transformed into Shadow and used his Beam Vision to form a deep hole for him to bury Gerald in. Tears flowed out his eyes as fast as the beams were. Once it was the right depth, Shadow threw Gerald's dead body in. He started throwing rocks, sand, and pieces of the ground in. Once the hole was filled, Shadow used his Beam Vision again to draw a cross over the area Gerald had been buried. Shadow had held on to the professor's labcoat, as a piece of memory to provide comfort. He started walking away…

G.U.N. did this, didn't they? It was obvious. They had been searching for Gerald for 15 years. Once Matthew saw them again, he'd crush them under his fist. This time, they would suffer. Shadow looked at the labcoat and clenched it harder in his fist. G.U.N. would pay.

Matthew decided to look at the Chaos Room. He walked through the lab slowly, taking in the sight of it. There were dozens of computers. It was kind of beautiful, actually, Matthew thought. But nothing in his life could be beautiful anymore. Not even Amy…

Matthew felt a pan of hurt as he thought about Amy Rose. What was she doing? _How_ was she doing? Was she worried about him? Could he ever see her again? Should he tell her who—no, _what_ —he was? He could tell her that now only two members of his family was alive, except one was missing, while the other was insane. He loved Amy, but at the same he hated her. She was one of the most caring people he'd ever met, but was she caring enough? This was too personal for him. He would have to let her go. To protect her from the truth—and things much worse than that.

"Hello," a voice said.

Matthew looked around the lab. "Who's there?! Show yourself!"

The voice was monotone and robotic. Was the lab… _speaking?_ "I am in the Chaos Room."

"What's your name?" Matthew demanded.

"I am known as E-123 Omega. Master Robotnik simply calls me Omega."

Matthew stormed toward the door of the Chaos Room. He didn't know why, but this "Omega" was pissing him off. He scanned his hand by the door, and it opened. The first thing he saw when he walked in was a big red and white robot, with two big guns pointing at him from its bulky arms.

"Are you Omega?"

"I am," the robot replied. "Tell me who you are."

"I'm Gerald's grandson," Matthew said, crossing his arms.

Omega was not intimidated. "Prove it."

"If I slice you in half, will that prove it?"

"It will only lead to your demise."

Matthew scoffed. "Like hell." He closed his eyes and transformed into Shadow. He opened them, revealing his glowing, red irises.

Omega paused. "Very well." The guns sticking out of his retreated back into their sockets, then were replaced by two metallic hands with long fingers. "I apologize."

Shadow transformed back into his human self. "You should be," he said coldly.

"I would like to ask about my master's whereabouts."

"Dead," Matthew answered. He began to wander the Chaos Room, finding seven canisters. Two of them held glowing gems. The other five were empty. "What are these things?"

"Chaos Emeralds," said Omega. "The most powerful objects in the universe. There are seven of them. When combined, they turn thoughts into power. Professor Gerald has assigned me to guard them."

"Well, he's gone now. I'm your master person thingy."

"Understood."

"So, where are the other five?"

"One is in the Guardian Units of Nations' possession. The others are spread across the globe."

Matthew had seen enough. He left the Chaos Room, with Omega right behind. "How do I run all these computers?"

You don't," said Omega. "I do. My body and the computers are uploaded with the same AI. I can communicate with and control them anywhere."

"That's helpful. I need you to do something for me."

"Yes?"

"Find out everything about my origin."

Omega's eyes began to flash, and the computers around the lab started up. News articles, files, IDs, and reports appeared on their screens. Apparently the Ultimate Life Form project had been a big one.

"It begins 30 years ago," Omega said. "G.U.N. had desires to create a super-soldier. The present-day Commander volunteered."

"So he's been a part of G.U.N. for 30 years?"

"Correct. After intense training, he was ready. G.U.N.'s science department created a serum that could change the appearance of his body and make him stronger. DNA was needed to base it off of. They used the DNA of a creature known as a Mobian."

"A... Mobian?"

On one of the monitors, a picture of a creature similar to Shadow popped up, only it was pure white with yellow eyes.

"The commander became known as 'Silver The Hedgehog.' He was granted psychic powers, the ability to fly, and enhanced durability. Countless battles were won because of him. He also became a crimefighter. People of Earth revered him as a true hero. However, the effects of the serum were not permanent. Eventually the commander was no longer able to transform into Silver. Plans to create something that could last forever were constructed."

"So that's how they came up with me," Matthew finished.

"Yes."

"Lovely. Were they going to use me as a super-soldier, too?"

"Yes."

"Okay, so, G.U.N. broke into my house and tranq'd me, but I woke up on a beach in Florida. Why?"

Omega hesitated. "That is classified."

"What? How did you get get information on Silver The Hedgehog?"

"I breached G.U.N.'s research banks."

"So, breach it more!"

"Certain files are protected by a virus that could infect my network."

Matthew took a deep breath, calming himself down. "Fine. Tell me where Maria Robotnik is. She's my mom."

Omega paused again. "That is classified as well."

Matthew cursed. "Can't you at least risk it?"

Omega didn't say anything.

Matthew remained in his seat, breathing heavily. Tears were welling up in his eyes. _No,_ he thought. _Don't cry… Don't cry…_

"Sir?" Omega asked. "Matthew? May I suggest you set out to find the Chaos Emeralds?"

Matthew looked up at the robot. "Maybe. Where is the nearest one from here?"

Omega paused. "Tracing signature of nearest Chaos Emerald…" he announced. A _ping_ sounded. "Acapulco, Mexico. It is under the possession of millionaire Bruno Martinez. He resides in a villa outside the city."

"Nice," Matthew said. "I've always wanted to visit Mexico."


	12. Mexico and the Emerald

Matthew stood outside Central City. He transformed into Shadow and shot up into the sky. A sonic boom erupted as he flew into the clouds. He had an angry expression on his face. His eyes were intense and cold, and his scowl was serious. There was no time to have fun, he thought. Now things were serious. Once he had all seven Chaos Emeralds, he would destroy G.U.N.

The blue sky became black as he approached the outer edge of the atmosphere. He flew higher and higher until the stars became slightly visible. He stopped the rockets on his shoes, then just floated there. Closing his eyes, he could feel his black hair soaking in the sun's bright light. There was no sound in space. He couldn't even hear himself breathing. The silence calmed him. It let him know everything would be alright. He opened his eyes and looked at the sun. He saw his mother's face in the light. The Emeralds would help him find Maria. He knew it.

"Sir?" Omega asked through the communication device in Shadow's glove, disrupting his peace.

"Yes?"

"Are you prepared?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I am. You said it was in Acapulco."

"Correct."

"Tell me where it is."

"It is on the southern coast of Mexico. Its coordinates are 16 degrees 51 minutes, 49 seconds north, and 99 degrees 52 minutes, 57 seconds west."

"I have no idea what that means."

"Do you see where the coast slants down to the right?"

Shadow looked down at Mexico and saw it. "Yes."

"It is in the middle of that."

"Good." Shadow shot back down, hurdling back towards Earth's atmosphere. He was aiming for where Omega had told him.

Acapulco was a beautiful place. It was a beach resort filled with tall buildings and beautiful landscape. Shadow figured this would be a perfect place for a millionaire to live. The water off the beach was a stunning dark blue, but it made Shadow nervous. The resort also looked like a popular tourist attraction. Mexico _was_ known for its tourism,after all. Shadow's black hair absorbed the sun's hot rays, but he easily ignored it. He didn't waste his time ogling any beautiful girls he might've seen. He wanted to get the Emerald as fast and subtle as possible.

Shadow hovered above the resort, where he would be out of sight. He saw white, circle shaped house outside the city.

 _That must be Martinez's villa,_ thought Shadow. He flew straight to it and landed in front of its front door, which was quite taller than Shadow. He transformed back into Matthew and turned the doorknob. The door opened. _Wow,_ he thought. _He must trust people._

Matthew walked in. The house was much more simplistic than Matthew had expected, but it still lived up to some expectations of a rich person's house.

"Hello?" Matthew called, putting on a Mexican accent. Unfortunately, he knew very little Spanish. "Señor Martinez? Hello? I have come to borrow some jalapeños!"

Matthew walked in further, gaining a better view of the villa. "Señor Martinez? Do you have any jalapeños? It is vital for my salsa! May I have some?"

Matthew continued going further into the house. He was about to call again, but he heard the clicking of a blunderbuss, a long gun, behind him, and a voice that said, "Who are you?"

 _New plan,_ Matthew thought. He put his hands in the air and asked in his regular voice, "Are you Bruno Martinez?"

"Si," the voice said. "Turn around slowly, so I can see who you are."

Matthew obeyed. He gradually rotated his body until he was face-to-face with Martinez. He was a well-groomed man wearing an expensive robe. The long gun shook in his grip. "What is your name?" he asked.

Matthew quickly searched for a name. "Lupe."

"What is it you've come for, Lupe?"

Matthew glared right into Martinez's eyes. "Your Chaos Emerald."

He transformed into Shadow and began walking towards the millionaire. Martinez fired his gun, but the bullet bounced off Shadow's body without even hurting him. He kicked the gun out of Martinez's hand, then pinned him to the ground.

" _Where is it?_ " Matthew shouted into the man's ear. "Tell me, or I'll rip your goddamn head off and destroy this place."

"No, please, not that!" Martinez begged. "I-I'll tell you! I'll tell you!"

Shadow pushed his skinny elbow into the millionaire's chest, which made him whine in pain.

"O-ow! It's… it's in my bedroom. In a glass case. You cannot miss it."

"Lead me to your room."

Shadow let Martinez get up. He kept his eye on him the whole time being led to his bedroom. He was taken to a room that had a massive chandelier hanging from the high ceiling. The room was easily the biggest one in the house. A long, tucked in bed sat in the corner, and in the other corner was a yellow Chaos Emerald, floating and glowing majestically. It was In a case that reminded Shadow of an exhibit at a museum. Nothing else was in the case. It was obviously too big for the fist-sized Emerald.

Shadow glared at Martinez and pointed to the bed. He got the message and went over to it, sitting down on it. Shadow meanwhile went to the case and stood in front of it. With one swift punch, the glass erupted into pieces upon pieces. Martinez began to whimper as Shadow reached his hand out to the Chaos Emerald. The relic began to glow and move toward his hand. It landed softly onto his palm. He clenched his fingers around it, and it began to glow more, reacting to his touch. He closed his eyes and felt its power. He now had four Chaos Emeralds…

He heard something zip in through the window and hit Martinez. He turned around to see the man lying on his bed, dead. It was a bullet that had killed him. Another zoom shot through the glass window and hit Shadow in the arm. It bounced off and hit the chandelier. Shadow's eyes began to glow in rage. His body began to glow crimson has the anger built up in his gut.

" _G.U.N.!_ " he snarled as he unleashed a Chaos Blast. The explosion leveled the whole house. Shadow closed his eyes and tried to let the anger leave him. He opened his eyes and looked around. The house was now nothing more than piles of debris.

Once the dust cleared, he looked in front of him and, to his horror, hundreds of tanks that were prepared to fire.

He heard the G.U.N. Commander's voice. "Hello again, Matthew."

Shadow turned to his left and saw the commander walking toward him. "What do _you_ want?"

The commander stood his ground. Unlike many, he was not afraid of Shadow The Hedgehog. "I want that Chaos Emerald. I also want to speak with you."

"Like hell."

"These tanks are ready to blow your ass to pieces."

"Let them try."

The commander chuckled. "This is your last chance, Matthew. Come with us, or we'll have to detain you."

"But you've tried that before. Twice. You can't kill me. At least not as easily as you killing my grandfather."

The commander furrowed his brow. "What're you talking about?"

Shadow scowled. He began walking toward the commander, who'd raised his hand, signaling the tanks to hold their fire; if they tried blowing up Shadow, they would blow up their commander instead. Soon Shadow was facing the commander. They were roughly the same height. With one quick motion, Shadow grasped the commander's neck in his large gloved hand. He slowly raised the commander off the ground.

"Don't lie to me," growled Shadow. "I know you killed Gerald. Why? Why did you kill him? Why did you take away _the last thing I have?_ " Tears started welling up in Shadow's eyes. "And for what? To use me as a tool of war? I know why I was created, Commander, and it makes me _sick._ You were never going to let me see the life of being a human being. You wanted a monster." Shadow dropped the commander, who lay on the ground helplessly. "You got him. Stand up."

The commander slowly stood up. "We didn't kill him, Matthew. I swear on my son's grave." He kept his eyes on his feet. So, _now_ the commander was afraid. _Now_ he realized what he'd done. But no. He slowly took his eyes off his feet and stared into Shadow's own eyes, which were furiously glowing. This commander was still arrogant. It pissed Shadow off.

Shadow pursed his lips together as he gave the commander a well-aimed stomp to the abdomen. The commander sailed through the air and crashed into a tank. The force was so powerful, it sent the tank tumbling into another. Shadow stared at the commander. All that was there was a corpse, with every bone in its body broken.

The tanks began to fire. Shadow didn't want a fight, however. He had the Emerald. That was all he wanted. He dashed into the city. The tanks would not follow him there. Once he was out of sight, he took off, flying into the clouds. He was crying, pained that he'd just taken another life. Shadow hated himself.


	13. Return to Westopolis

Matthew threw the Emerald at Omega. It hit his back with a clang then landed on the floor. The robot turned around and mechanically bent down to grab it.

"You need to be careful, master," Omega reprimanded.

"I'm not your master," Matthew croaked. He turned away from Omega and began to cry. His sobs reverberated around the lab.

"Is something the matter, Matthew?" Omega asked.

The teen sniffed and faced him. "Omega… I'm done. I can't do this anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"The G.U.N. Commander… _I killed him._ I killed him, Omega."

Omega made a low, sad beep. "Please excuse me, Matthew. I must put the Chaos Emerald in the Chaos Room. It is the only place in this lab that is leaded, so G.U.N. cannot trace its signature."

Matthew nodded and looked at the floor. "I get it, I get it. Do what you need to do."

Omega turned on the spot and marched to the far side of the lab. The doors to the Chaos Room opened, and Omega went in. He was gone for a few moments, then reappeared. The doors closed behind him.

"Continue."

Matthew shut his eyes and clenched his fists. "Omega, the only thing I do is cause destruction. I kill people. I look at their dead bodies and… and _laugh_ at them. The alien part of me can't be controlled. It overpowers my human half, and I just let it." He looked at Omega. "I'm just bad luck. I want to be a hero, but people are afraid of me. I know it. I want to help the world, but I can't do that, because I get so _angry,_ and the world won't trust me.

"I wish this never happened. I wish I was just a normal kid. _I wish my mom was here._ I wish I could find her, but I can't. I don't know how, or even where to start looking. I wish I knew exactly who I am. I wanna know who else my blood belongs to. I wanna know who my dad—er, _father_ —is. But I don't know to start looking for these things. I'm just… lost."

"Would you prefer a hug?" Omega asked, extending out his arms.

"Uh, no thanks."

"Certain? Sometimes physical contact can soothe a troubled, anxious mind."

"No. It's just that it'd be weird."

Omega put his arms down. "Understood."

"Goodbye, Omega," Matthew said, beginning to walk toward the entrance to the underground lab.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

"Home."

"Matthew, no!" Omega began to follow him. "You must finish this. Once you have, I promise that everyone will be back to normal."

Matthew whirled around and spat, "No, it _won't,_ Omega!"

The robot stopped in his tracks.

"Fixed or not, nothing will be back to normal. Ever. I'm going back to Westopolis. I've had enough of this goodie-two-shoes city."

Omega watched Matthew as he left the entrance of the lab. "Goodbye, my friend," he said.

Once the panel had lifted him above ground, Matthew transformed into Shadow for the final time. He began to walk forward, thinking. His grandfather had told him that his father was an alien named Black Doom, and that his DNA had been mutated with a human male's DNA. So, he had two fathers. Who was the second? How would he find both of them?

Shadow brushed his Hover Shoes along the dry, arid ground as he walked. He looked at his hands, and clenched them into fists. Shadow The Hedgehog would be no more. He stopped walking. The rockets in his shoes began to combust, building up energy and causing the ground to slightly tremble. Shadow closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He opened his eyes and looked at the sky, which had turned into a beautiful orange color.

The Hover Shoes practically exploded below him. He zipped into the sky, instantly achieving top speed. He soared past Central City, watching it whoosh past as he flew above it. This city did not need him; the corrupt Westopolis.

Shadow learned something during his flight. He could not run away from the alien inside him. He had to embrace it. The idea of that scared him, but he knew it had to be done. He could learn to control his immense power, because if he didn't, he would end up destroying himself.

* * *

Dr. Eggman had returned to his own lab. The death of his father had more than just troubled him. He almost crashed the Egg Dragoon as he landed it in his lab. As its front slammed onto the floor, the cockpit of the robot popped open, throwing Eggman out. He screamed and flailed his arms about as he flied out and flopped onto floor, with his hovercraft, the Egg Mobile, falling beside him. Eggman sat up and rubbed his bald head.

"Owww… Who turned out the lights?" he mumbled. He looked around as his vision became less blurry. He saw that a cracked, framed photo of Gerald was on the floor. He scrambled to crawl over to it. He gingerly held it in his hands.

"Father…" he said. "I'm so sorry, Father!" He hugged the photo close to his chest and sobbed. Gerald had died because he'd angered Eggman. Eggman had let his fury and greed get the better of him. The egg-shaped man looked at the Egg Dragoon. He thought about Westopolis, and all of his memories there. All those memories had been destroyed by his father's murder. A broad grin crept up on his face. Eggman knew what he had to do. He'd murdered a person, so why stop there? He could bring genocide and annihilation to Westopolis! That city had been overrun by darkness and corruption. Eggman, like many others, wished it would go away, but it never would. Eggman's memories of the city were rotten and terrible.

The only way to get rid of corruption was to destroy it at its sources.

With its source being none other than the city itself.

* * *

It was raining in Westopolis, forcing Shadow to transform back into Matthew. His life without Shadow had begun. He also had a life that was much worse: a life of struggle. He had no money, and he had no food. He had no clean clothes, and he had no suitable shelter. Going to his house was an option, but it had no water or electricity, and everything in it had been cleared out by G.U.N. Matthew had also realized that it had been some time since he last went to school. Would living off a ninth grade education be difficult? Did it matter that he was smart? In this dog-eat-dog life he was about to go under, smarts would not be enough.

He hung out in an alley while he waited for the rain to stop, digging through a dumpster in hopes of finding something edible. He thought about how similar this was to the time he spent in Florida with his new body. The mistake he made back then was that he ate everything in sight, not caring if it was spoiled or rotten. He dug through egg shells, moldy bread, rotten tomatoes, and bruised fruit. He didn't find anything to eat. His heart started pound as he began to panic. The hunger in his stomach was poking at him, begging to go away. The rain had been reduced to a slight drizzle, and fog was setting in around the city.

Matthew sat against the wall of a building, with his knees curled up to his head, and his hands cupped in front of him, hoping somebody walking down the sidewalk would drop some spare change into them. All he wanted was enough to buy a meal at a fast food place. He kept his head in his lap, not wanting to make eye contact with anybody walking by.

He was now one of the many homeless people struggling to live. Westopolis had run out of money to run homeless shelters, so the unfortunate people were on their own. Even families had fallen to this life. Matthew knew some of these people had no chance of living. Westopolis had a huge gap between the rich and the poor.

After sitting there for what felt like hours, Matthew felt something being dropped into his hands. He became exuberant to finally have some money, but he decided to wait a few seconds before looking to see what he'd gotten. Once he was sure the person was gone, he lifted his head from his knees and began to count his earnings.

He'd received $2 in change.

Matthew didn't care that it wasn't enough for a whole meal. Money was money. He put the change into the pocket of his hoodie and began to walk. Eventually he came to McDonald's, where he ordered two $1 hamburgers. He left the restaurant and found a secluded area to eat, fearing that someone might try to steal his food. He ate slowly, trying to get as much nourishment as possible, considering the little nutrition the hamburgers offered. He wasn't able to get a drink or fries, but it didn't matter to him. He prayed his thanks before and after he was done eating.

Deciding to stay the night at his house, he began walking. It would be a long walk. The sky was now pitch black, and the night was reaching its late hours. Matthew wished he knew what time it was. A silver minivan pulled up by him. The driver gave a sharp honk the horn and rolled the window to the passenger seat down.

It was Amy.

Matthew stopped in his tracks as he saw her. She was even more beautiful than before. Her flowy, blond hair was pushed to the side of her head. His gaze stayed on her kind, broad eyes. Her look made him want to cry for help.

"Hey," she said.

"Uh, h-hi."

Her eyes widened. "Are those my dad's clothes?"

Matthew looked down at his hoodie & sweat pants and shrugged. "Well… sorry."

Amy smiled and let out a small giggle. She signaled him to the car. He was quick to obey.

Once he'd sat down and closed the door, he was pulled into one of Amy's lovely hugs. One of her arms was wrapped around his neck, while the other went around the middle of his back. For some reason, he didn't like being held like this. He squirmed to get out of her grip. She understandably moved back.

"Sorry," she said.

Matthew just sat there, staring at the dashboard. He was fighting every urge to cry. He had just rejected a much-needed hug from his girlfriend, for God's sake! He started rubbing his face with his hands.

"Amy, I don't know what to do," he said, trying not to whine.

Amy was silent for a moment. "You haven't seen your grandpa yet, have you?"

"No," he lied. That made him feel even worse.

She put her hand on his knee. "Hey, let's go somewhere where it's just us. Just you and me."

Someone in a car behind them honked, telling them to hurry the hell up.

"Fine," Matthew croaked. "I've got nowhere else to go."

Amy put the minivan into gear and started driving. The person behind them would be pleased. "Are you hungry?" she asked.

"No," he told her. "I… got some money and bought some food."

"Come on, let me buy you someth-"

"I said I'm not hungry," he said, raising his voice but keeping it in a calm tone.

Now Amy was struggling not to cry. "I'm only trying to help."

"You are, and I thank you for that. It's just that…" He took a deep breath. "Where are we going, anyway?"

"My house. I'm gonna grab some things from there, then we'll find someplace private."

"Do your parents know you're out this late?"

"Yes," Amy said. "But they think I'm actually staying the night at someone's place."

"Hm." Matthew watched the road ahead of them. Eventually they pulled up in the driveway of Amy's house.

"Wait here," she told him. She got out of the car and added before leaving, "And _don't_ run off."

The idea actually tempted him. He waited in the passenger's seat for Amy to grab her stuff. He looked in the backseat and saw a pink suitcase sitting there. She probably needed it when she fooled her mom and dad.

Soon she was back. "Forgot my favorite pillows," she said as she tossed them in the backseat with her suitcase. Soon they were back on the road.

Matthew cold feel her eyes on him as she got on the highway. He didn't know if it was a warm, kind gaze or a cold, angry gaze. They just drove and drove. Soon Matthew was asleep. It was impossible for him to be completely asleep in a car; he still had some awareness. After awhile he felt the car come to a stop. He felt her wrap an arm around his shoulder while giving him a kiss on the cheek. He stirred awake and looked at her with half-closed eyes.

"Where are we?" he asked her.

"Someplace far away," Amy answered. "Someplace where it's just you and me."

That reply brought a smile to Matthew's face. It'd been a long time since he last smiled. Soon he forgot about being Shadow. He forgot about his pain and hardship. He forgot about his mom.

"Matt, I need to tell you something," he heard her say.

"Yeah?"

"…Well, I don't know if I should."

"Just say it," he said in a friendly, carefree voice.

"Your grandpa's Gerald Robotnik, right?"

"Yeah."

"It's about him."

Now he remembered being Shadow. He remembered his pain and hardship. He remembered his mom.

"What is it?" he asked.

"He died, Matt. Someone found his body buried outside Central City."

"Wh-what?"

"Matt, I'm so sorry…"

Matthew curled his hands into fists and clenched his teeth. Someone had dug up the grave he'd made for his grandfather! His breathing started to speed up as rage built up inside him. He yelled so loud that it made Amy jump. He pushed her off him and threw his fist downward at the dashboard. He hit it with a loud _thump_. Amy just sat there, staring at the steering wheel. The first thing he feared was that he hurt her.

Something tapped the window. They both looked and saw a policeman looking right at them.

"Dammit," Matthew muttered.

Amy rolled down the window for the policeman to shin his flashlight through. "What're you kids doin' out here?" he asked.

Amy spoke quietly to the officer. "His grandpa just died, sir. Don't try to push his buttons."

"Oh, reall-eh?" the officer scoffed."What was his name?"

"Gerald," Matthew replied.

The officer's eyes went wide. "You wouldn't happen to be Matthew, now would ya?"

* * *

Meanwhile, in the infirmary of G.U.N. Headquarters, numerous doctors were discussing among themselves. They were gossiping about the commander's survival. They believed it was a miracle. Nothing could survive being kicked in the stomach _and_ colliding headfirst into a tank's wheels. Once Shadow had left, G.U.N.'s forces had apparently picked up the commander before retreating. His heart hadn't stopped beating. His body had been put into a room for treatment immediately when they returned.

A general walked into the small room, effectively ceasing the doctors' conversation. He told them to follow him with just a quick tilt of his head. The doctors followed him down a long, dimly lit hall, with doors to other patients' rooms situated at each side. At the end of the hall was the emergency room. The general and the doctors came in without a word.

A curtain was closed around the commander's bed. Other doctors working around the bed quickly moved away. The doctors with the general braced themselves as he touched the curtain. He grabbed it then pulled it open.

There was the G.U.N. Commander, sitting at the edge of his bed, sipping water out of a Styrofoam cup. He was dressed in a gown. His body showed no sign of injury. He looked better than before. Taking one last sip of water, he crushed the cup in his hand.

"How do you feel?" asked one of the doctors.

The commander seemed to ignore the doctor's question, and turned his head toward the general. "Do we have any spare Silver The Hedgehog serum?" he asked.

The general crossed his arms. "Why?"

"Because of Matthew. Because of _Shadow,_ " he replied through clenched teeth. "Now tell me, do we have any left over, or not?"

"How did you even survive this, commander?"

"The serum from all those years ago, it hasn't worn off. Not completely, anyway. Some of its effects are still there. That's why. I need more, General. I can't transform. I need more."

"Why?"

"…So I can teach that filthy black creature a lesson," he growled.

The general smiled. "I think we still have some left over."

The commander stood up. "I'm ready for it now."

"Thought you would be."

The general led the commander out the emergency room. He told someone through his two-way radio to get the serum ready. The two of them walked down many halls and corridors before getting to their destination. The general put his hand on the scanner beside the door, and after a brief analysis, the door unlocked.

They came into a bright, pure white room. The light for the room came from the floor, so they could not see their shadows. Along the wall were shelves lined with long, skinny containers that held a yellow liquid. The commander and the general waited until a woman wearing blue scrubs entered. She took one of the containers and dropped a small dot of red liquid into it. Its yellow color immediately changed to white. She handed the container to the commander and told him to drink it.

The commander stared at the serum for a long time. By drinking this, immense power would return to him. He would be able to become Silver The Hedgehog, the widely acclaimed hero, once again. Then he would be able to defeat Shadow and bring him to G.U.N. He closed his eyes and gulped it down.


	14. The WPD

A million questions ran through Matthew's mind as he and Amy were brought to the police station. The first thing he wondered was how the cop knew who he was. Then came the paranoia that they knew he was Shadow The Hedgehog. He asked the cop over and over where they were going, and he only told him they were heading to the WPD. Amy was worried about her car, but he assured her that they would pick it up.

Matthew was squirming in his seat. He felt like a criminal, sitting in the backseat of a police car. Too many emotions were going through his mind for him to think. He wanted to know where Gerald's body was, he wanted to be alone with Amy in her car, he wanted his body to stop itching, he wanted to yell, he wanted to take a shower, he wanted his mom, he wanted to brush his teeth, he wanted something to eat. He wanted to stop wanting so much.

But then he realized that he only wanted to be happy.

Amy held his hand. "It's going to be alright," she told him.

Matthew didn't say anything.

"If it makes you feel any better, son," the cop said, "you're not in any trouble."

"Then what is it?" Amy asked.

The cop hesitated. "Protective custody. For him."

Matthew felt Amy grip his hand tighter. "Why?" she asked.

"Miss, this doesn't really concern you."

"Yes, it _does,_ " she snapped.

"Well, you ain't his sister. You two's little make-out session proved that. This pertains to family only."

Matthew spoke up. "She _is_ my family."

Everyone was silent for a moment. Matthew could feel the car warming up with Amy's smile. He kept his eyes on the back of the cop's seat. They were driving through downtown Westopolis now.

They parked outside the PD. The cop escorted the couple through the front door. They walked a ways until they came to the front office.

"Wait here," the cop told them, pointing to some chairs outside the office. They sat down as he went in.

"So you think I'm part of your family?" Amy asked spoonily and flirtatiously.

"Yeah," he said bashfully, keeping his eyes on the floor as she started running her hand along his back.

"Matt," she said, "I want you to know that I'm her for you, okay?"

Matthew nodded. "It's just that… I haven't really been there for _you._ "

Amy kissed his cheek. "That's okay."

"No, I'm really so-"

A suited woman and two other cops walked out the office, interrupting their conversation. She scooted a chair in front of Matthew. "So, you're Matthew Robotnik?" she asked.

He nodded.

"I'm Agent Whitely. FBI," she told him. "I want to start off by saying I'm sorry for your loss."

He nodded.

"We have reasons to believe that the death of Gerald Robotnik and Ivo Robotnik's recent attack on a bank are related."

He nodded.

Agent Whitely turned to Amy. "And who's this? Your sister? Cousin?"

"I'm his girlfriend," she said.

Agent Whitely smiled. "She's very beautiful, Matthew."

His eyes returned to the floor. He couldn't agree more with her.

There was an awkward silence, until Whitely cleared her throat. "Matthew, have you heard of this creature people are calling 'Shadow The Hedgehog?'"

Matthew's heart skipped a beat as dread began to overcome him. "Yeah," he said.

"Some people believe he tried to stop your uncle's attack on the bank, but mist believe he assisted him."

Amy stopped caressing his back. "I didn't know that was your uncle."

"His background explains that he has an extensive knowledge in robot building," explained Whitely. "We've also seen some of the things he's built for the Guardian Units of Nations."

"G.U.N.," said Matthew.

"That's right. And after examining the professor's body, we saw that there were no signs of anything other than slaughter. And he was buried."

"Where's his body?" Matthew asked, trying his best not to sound demanding.

"We can't tell you that yet."

"But he's my grandpa."

Whitely sighed. "Perhaps we should go somewhere private."

The two cops led Matthew, Amy, and Agent Whitely to an interrogation room. The room had no windows, and it was cold. A flatscreen TV hung on the wall. Its remote sat on a table in the middle of the room, with only two chairs. Whitely sat down in one, with the two cops standing behind her. One of them was a balding man with a mustache, and the other was tall and plump. Matthew sat on the other chair, with Amy standing behind him. She put her hand on his shoulders for comfort.

"Matthew," Agent Whitely began, "we've been trying to a hold of your mother, but she won't answer. We can't track her, either."

Matthew remembered the lie he told Amy. "She's dead," he said.

The room became humid with the dark atmosphere setting in.

"She was killed," Amy said, "and Matthew was drugged and left for dead."

Agent Whitely looked at Matthew for awhile, then stood up. "Please excuse me," she said. She and the plump officer left the room.

The cop with the mustache sat in Whitely's seat. He looked at Matthew with kind eyes. "It's going to be alright," she said calmly.

Matthew took a deep breath. "I wish you were right, sir."

The cop chuckled. "Name's Jones. When I was young—say around eight years old—my parents were murdered. Right in front of me. That day, I felt… lost. Confused. And I imagine that's the way you feel right now."

Matthew nodded.

"We're the cops, Matt. We're the good guys. And if there's anything you need—" he took out a slip of paper & a pen and scribbled something—"you just let me know." He slid the paper in front of Matthew. It had Jones's phone number written on it.

Matthew took the slip of paper, folded it, and put in his pocket. "Thank you, sir."

Jones nodded, then got up and left the room.

Amy sat on his lap and gave him a kiss. "When this is all over," she said, "we can be there for each other."

But Matthew knew it would never be over. He snuggled closer to her, then fell asleep.


	15. Robot Rock

The next morning, Dr. Eggman was driving on a highway leading to Westopolis. Its skyline loomed over him, even though it was barely a mile away. He was in the Eggmobile, with large monster truck tires attached to the bottom. A large exhaust pipe stuck out the back.

"Hee hee hee…" chuckled the scientist. "Just a while longer, and Westopolis will fall to its… Wha?"

Eggman could hear the blare of police sirens behind him. Three cop cars drove up behind him.

"Surrender now, Robotnik," came a voice from a megaphone, "or we will use force."

"Oh _no!_ " Eggman cried, feigning hopelessness. "What _ever_ will I do? Heh! My, those vehicles look so terrible! How about… a makeover?!"

Eggman slammed a large red button with his fist. An antenna poked out the Eggmobile's exhaust pipe. The antenna began to vibrate as it started emitting a signal.

"Hopefully those cars won't _cop out!_ Oh ho ho ho ho ho hoo! Au revoir!" The tires detached from Eggmobile, and the hovercraft became airborne. Eggman flew away, still laughing at his jokes.

The police cars suddenly came to a complete stop. "What the hell?" one officer asked to himself. It was the last thing he said before an airbag exploded in his face. The cars then began to change. They folded themselves in half andf started to transform. They turned into terrifying, colossal mechanical beasts. The officers were ejected from the monsters' bodies, then were blasted to death by their arm cannons.

The monsters began their rampage. They squashed, threw, and crushed every car they saw. The twenty-five foot beasts had the same color scheme as the cars they'd transformed from. The red, white, and blue lights flashed on their heads. The Eggman emblem was visible on the middle of their chests. They had red eyes on their evil faces. One of the monsters raised its arm cannon to the air and started firing at the sky, while the other two robots continued terrorizing the highway.

* * *

Matthew was awoken by Amy sitting on his thigh wrong. He winced in pain as he was brought up from the depths of sleep. Amy had her head resting on his shoulder, with her arm around his chest. He ran his fingers through her hair delicately as she kept on sleeping. His back was stiff from sitting in an uncomfortable chair all night. They were still in the interrogation room, but it seemed darker than before.

A soft buzzing noise sounded in the room, then Agent Whitely and Officer Jones entered. The latter looked solemn and pained. Amy stirred at the sound and woke up. She looked confused at first, as if she hadn't remembered what'd happened last night. Then she looked up at Matt and smiled.

Agent Whitely spoke up. "You were asleep, so we decided to just you two be."

Amy got off of Matthew and took a seat on the table. She grabbed the TV remote and fiddled with it. Matthew sat up and stretched, his back making faint popping noises as he did so. Amy turned on the TV. It was on a news station, showing footage of three robotic monsters rampaging around a highway. Matthew leaned forward in his seat, trying to get a better look. He immediately feared that this was his uncle's doing.

Officer Jones turned away from the TV. Agent Whitely, Matthew, and Amy exchanged glances. Whitely hastily grabbed the remote from Amy and turned it off. Matthew's mind was reeling. Another attack from his uncle… But what was he after this time? All he knew was that it had to be stopped before he found out.

"Well," said Whitely, "breakfast will be here soon."

"Can I use the restroom?" Matthew asked.

"Officer," Whitely said to Jones, "can you show Matt the way to the bathroom?"

Jones nodded but didn't say anything. He opened the door and escorted Matthew out.

"Six of my fellow officers have been killed by those things," he said they walked down the hall. "Nobody can stop them, except Shadow."

"You think he's good?" Matthew asked.

"Matt, everyone has a little bit of good in them. You realize that as a cop. Shadow prevented Robotnik's robbery from getting any worse, whether helped or not. I'm a firm believer that there's some good in Shadow and the city.

"I'll be back in the interrogation room," he told Matthew as they approached the bathroom door. "You know where it's at."

It was a private bathroom, with one toilet, one sink, and a lock on the doorknob. Matthew locked the door and looked himself in the mirror.

 _Okay, Matt, you said you weren't going to, but now you have to,_ he thought. _Officer Jones believes in me—in Shadow—so you have to believe in yourself._

Matthew closed his eyes, curled his fingers into fists, took a deep breath, and transformed into Shadow. He looked at himself again in the mirror. His stern glare, his scowl, the crimson stripes on his spikes, the tuft of white hair on his chest, his gloves, his Inhibitor Rings, and his Hover Shoes… Shadow looked prepared for a little robot rock.

He took a step back and fired his Beam Vision at the ceiling, forming a hole to the second floor. He charged up his Hover Shoes, then took off. He shot through more floors, never blinking once. His posture never budged, never breaking away from his arms at his sides and feet together. He blasted through the roof of the WPD and came to a stop. He looked in the direction of Lethal Highway…

The three monster-like robots never let up on their rage. They tore chunks off the highway and threw them at cars. Plenty of people were unaware of the attacks and were driving into them. The monsters snarled as something fell from the sky. E-123 Omega landed in the middle of the road and began to load his guns.

"Robotnik _scum,_ " the robot uttered as it pointed its arm to the monsters and launched three miniature missiles from its wrists. One of the monsters jumped in their path and took the hit. The missiles exploded on contact but otherwise did no significant harm to its body. Its body had small splotches of fire all over its body. The three robots roared and charged at Omega. Its hands went up their sockets and were replaced by guns. Omega fired them at the robots, but one of them rammed its shoulder into Omega's body, sending it flying. Sparks erupted out of its back as it flew into a green sign that said, "WESTOPOLIS – 1 MILE."

The robots chortled as Omega's limp body fell to the side of the road. They turned to the scene of destruction they'd caused and started rampaging again. Nothing would interfere with them.

One of the monsters watched as the other two unleashed hell. Something red hit its back. It snarled, thinking it was Omega ready to be pummeled again.

Shadow, eyes glowing, yelled as he tackled the robot in its gut. The black hedgehog lifted it into the air, then chucked it back to the road. Their bodies zipped down the highway as Shadow tackled the robot again. He started punching its gut, yelling ach time to increase his power. The robot peeled him off its stomach on slammed him to the found. With Shadow off its body, they began to slow. The robot dragged him on the road. They came to a stop, and the robot stood up. Shadow did so too, but much more slowly. His black fur was dusty.

The other two monsters were charging after them. The one Shadow had tackled swung it arm at the hedgehog. After dodging a few strikes, he tried burning through its arm with his Beam Vision. The laser slowed down they swing but didn't do too much damage. The robot swung with its other arm, successfully punching Shadow.

 _These things must have a weak point…_ thought Shadow. _But… where?_

The robot roared, interrupting Shadow's thoughts. It threw a truck at him. He caught the truck by its front, then lobbed it back to the robot. He shot another laser of Beam Vision at it as the truck got close enough. It caused an explosion so big, the force sent Shadow reeling. His Hover Shoes stopped his out-of-control spiral. Once the flames and smoke cleared, he saw the robot, its face on fire, stunned. He took the chance and tackled it again. He started whaling on its gut again, coupled with his Beam Vision. The laser began melting the exterior, and with one fiinal punch, Shadow broke through. He grabbed what he could from inside the monster and pulled out a heap of wires. He lifted off from its body and fired another Beam Vision. The robot exploded, throwing plumes of smoke and fire into the air.

Shadow landed softly on the road, breathing heavily. He heard the roars of the other two robots, which had caught up to him. They towered over him and swung their fists at him. At times they would hit themselves or each other if he dodged correctly. He grasped the face of one of them and started punching. The monster screamed loudly as he shoved his fist into one of its eyes. It threw its body around, trying to shake him off. Shadow yelled, and pulled out its eye. After throwing it away, he wrapped his arms around the robot's head and started kicking at the front of its neck. Each stomp made a _crunch_ sound, until finally, he ripped its head right out of its shoulders. The robot stopped moving and fell to the ground.

The third and final robot grabbed Shadow and slammed his body into the ground. It raised its hand in the air, charging for a second time. Shadow's body was thrown to the ground again. He yelled as he struggled getting out of its grip. The robot threw him into a destroyed car and roared. Shadow lay there motionless for awhile, feeling the world spin around him. He rolled to his side and ran his hand through his spikes. He had to keep fighting… He imagined Amy back at the police department, watching the brawl from the TV in the interrogation room. He moaned as he rolled onto his front. He couldn't be weak… He couldn't!

The irises of his eyes began to glow. He pushed himself up and rolled off the car. He slowly stood up, his legs shaking. He looked straight at the robot, and the robot looked right back at him. It hissed, then ran off down the highway toward Westopolis, crushing more vehicles in its path.

Shadow took off after the robot. He fired his Beam Vision at the ground below the robot, causing it to roll like a tumbleweed. His body glowed yellow, then he shot numerous amounts of Chaos Spears at the tumbling robot. Its body became shrouded in explosions, and Shadow fired more Chaos Spears at it. They zipped and danced and whipped around its body before striking. The robot gave one last roar as its body blew to pieces.

Shadow landed next to Omega and knelt beside it.

"You— _beep!_ —came," it said weakly.

"Omega," Shadow said urgently, "tell me what to do to help."

"Take me— _beep!_ —to the lab, Matthew. I can— _beep boop!_ —repair my body there."

"Alright." Shadow lifted Omega onto his back, giving it a sort of piggyback ride. They took off gently, and headed toward Central City. Once they were in its outskirts, Shadow touched they panel, and they were lowered to the underground lab.

Shadow lay Omega against a wall. "What are you going— _beep!_ —to do now?" it asked.

"Going back to Westopolis," said Shadow. "I have a feeling that those robots were just the beginning."

"They came from ordinary motor vehicles," Omega told him. "They were hit by a signal from Robotnik and were transformed."

"I don't think Uncle Ivo will stop there," Shadow said darkly.

"Maybe so, maybe not. If more things do occur, please be careful, Matthew."

Shadow opened the exit to the lab. "I'll try."


	16. Eggman's Plan

Cops were swarming the scene of the highway battle. Yellow tape barricaded the area. Photographers were taking photos, detectives were running around, and tall, muscular men guarded the area. This type of attack had never been seen before. Nobody knew how it was possible for police cars to change into monstrous robots and wreak havoc. The detectives didn't even know how to begin investigating. All they knew was that Dr. Eggman was the culprit—proven by his emblem on the robot's chest. But where was the scientist? What was he planning next?

Officer Jones was at the scene. He was setting out to find Matthew when he got the news that Shadow The Hedgehog was fighting the robots. He wanted to talk to him, but he didn't get to the scene in time. Hopeless, he decided to leave. He got in the car and yelped at the person sitting in the passenger seat.

"This won't be the only attack," Shadow said hastily.

Jones drew his gun. "H-how did y-you get in here?" he demanded.

Shadow ignored him. "Tell your fellow officers to get ready."

"F-for what?"

"War."

"How can you be sure there's going to be a war?"

"He's drained a bank. He's killed Gerald Robotnik. He's developed robots and weapons for G.U.N. He's turned three police cars into Transformers."

"But, how do you know all this?"

Shadow hesitated. "Because I'm the center of it."

"What are you saying?"

"Gerald created me. I'm a product of G.U.N. And… I'm a friend of Matthew Robotnik's, his grandson."

"Wait… Created?"

Shadow nodded. "I am the Ultimate Life Form, Shadow The Hedgehog. I was created to be a tool for G.U.N., but I… refused."

"That means," the officer said, "that Eggman must be after you. He's linked to G.U.N. as well, right?"

Shadow pondered this. His uncle had never _directed_ an attack on him. He had no idea what he was after, so he just nodded solemnly.

"Shadow, where's Matthew right now?" Jones asked.

"Someplace safe. He won't get hurt. I promise. But I need _you._ You need to do something for me."

"What?"

"Matthew told me you're one of the few who believes in me. He believes in me, you believe in me, and Gerald believed in me. If Westopolis gets turned into a battlefield, I'm going to protect it with all my strength. So tell the city that I'm not bad. I may not be a hero, but I'm definitely not a villain. Tell them that."

"What if it gets destroyed?"

"Then it'll be the price I pay. Goodbye, officer."

Shadow got out of the car and skated away. Jones watched him as he did.

Shadow stared at the city that was a mile away as he got closer to it. Westopolis, a land of crime and evil. A place where you either won triumphantly or lost miserably. He wondered if the city was worth saving. Maybe Eggman was planning to attack someplace else. Central City or Empire City would be the best guesses. But he had to be ready in case he was wrong.

Entering Westopolis made Shadow feel like he was going into a dark, stormy cloud. As soon as he set foot in the city, four Egg Gunners—complete with one machine gun arm and one missile launcher arm—dropped from the sky, landing in front of him. They pointed their weapons at him, ready to fire. Then Shadow heard Eggman's laughing.

"Hoo ho ho ho ho ho!" the scientist bellowed as he and the Eggmobile slowly descended from the heights. "Well, if it isn't the pesky hedgehog Shadow! You won't interfere this time… or at least _try_ to. Heh heh."

"What are you after, Eggman?" demanded Shadow. "What are you planning?"

Eggman patted his belly as he looked down on Shadow. "Heh! You'd really like to know, wouldn't you?"

"Don't play games with me, you freak!"

Eggman stroked his immense mustache. "Why, _that_ was low! You think _I'm_ a freak? Have you seen yourself, Shadow? You're the freak! You're the one without a heart!"

Shadow's eyes began to glow. "You think that'll stop me?"

"Never mind. It doesn't matter," Eggman said, waving his hand. "What matters is that this pathetic city will soon be _flattened._ Nothing will be able to stop me! Not you, not G.U.N., not… anything! The entire _world_ can try throwing things at me, but it will all be futile!

"Egg Gunners!" Eggman pointed at Shadow. "Destroy him! Destroy _it!_ "

The Egg Fighters each fired a missile out their arms. They came at Shadow at great speeds, giving him no time to prepare. They exploded as they hit him, sending him barreling into the wall of a building.

"Oh ho ho ho ho!" laughed Eggman. He turned the Eggmobile around and flew away.

So it was true, Shadow thought. Eggman _was_ planning something bigger. Much bigger. Helter-skelter had taken over the lobby he had crashed in, with people running this way and that. Shadow leaped from the he'd created and speared one of the Egg Gunners. Thankfully, it was much weaker than the robots from the highway. Its body split in two as Shadow tackled it. The other three fired their machine guns at him, but their bullets bounced off his body. He jumped in front of one of them and punched through it, shoving his arm through its chest. The Egg Gunner instantly went limp. Shadow through its body at another. He felt his body endure more shots from a machine gun. He jumped toward the final Egg Gunner and gave it a sharp roundhouse kick to the face. Its head flew off its body and blew up.

Shadow spoke into the communicator in his glove. "Omega, are you there?"

His listened for response, but heard only static. _Damn,_ he thought. He suddenly heard the cries of scared people. He skated to the sound's source and saw more Egg Gunners marching down the middle of the street, walking over cars and other vehicles. Shadow's stare became cold as he tried to think of what to do...


	17. The War Begins

Small ships each carrying two or three Egg Pawns were flying all around the city, shooting at anything and everything in their path. Their pilots were firing small fiery, red-colored projectiles. Civilians scrambled to get out of their cars or from the buildings to avoid getting blown up. Unfortunately, many people were too slow, and got caught in the path of destruction. The Egg Pawns then would leap off their miniature ships into buildings through windows. They trapped people in their rooms, offices, or lobbies and ambushed them. They showed no mercy. The only thing they knew was killing. They attacked using blasters, lancers, or simply their arms. The unfortunate civilians were zapped, sliced, or pummeled to death. More Pawn-controlled ships flew around Westopolis, shooting at the streets and exteriors of buildings. Then they would raid those buildings, repeating the process.

No one could even fathom what was going on. A terrorist attack? An alien invasion? Those who were lucky enough to get out of the chaos tried to escape the city, but Egg Gunners were heavily guarding the edge of Westopolis, as well as its exits. They fired their weapons at the first sight of a fleeing human. No one was allowed to run away. Tghere was no way to escape.

Meanwhile, police were fighting back—or, were at least attempting to. Some were firing their guns at the Egg Pawn ships, trying to bring them down. Most were fighting back an ambush by EggRobos and Egg Fighters. The Badniks were winning easily, shooting police cars with laser projectiles. Blocks away, Officer Jones and other police were firing at any stray EggRobos.

"C'mon, when's help coming?" Jones yelled over the loud noise. "SWAT team, National Guard, army, anything!"

"You think _I_ know?!" yelled back on of the policemen. "All I want to know… _is what the hell is happening!_ "

"War... We're seeing the elephant."

"I'm a police officer, for Christ's sake!" the policeman exclaimed. He looked to be in his early thirties. "Screw this! I'm outta here!" He bolted to the nearest vehicle and jumped in. He turned on the ignition and sped away, burning rubber.

Jones's face was red with frustration. "You're all idiots!" he screamed to the other officers. He got in his own police car. The officers were wasting their bullets on robots that couldn't be destroyed. Shadow was off somewhere doing who-knows-what. If nobody was willing to get things done, then Jones would have to be; he was willing to die for his city. He stomped down on the gas pedal and drove away from the scene. Egg Pawn ships immediately went after him. Jones's heart pounded as he felt the street behind him get shot at. An energy blast barely missed the car and hit the side of a building. This may have not been a good idea, he thought. The police he'd abandoned were probably thinking he was a coward.

The ships seemed to disappear as he came to a gas station, where his car stopped suddenly.

"Now what?" Jones grumpled. He repeatedly stepped on the gas pedal, but the police car didn't move.

He froze as the windshield rolled up. His seat lurched forward, flinging him out the front of his car. He landed on the sidewalk. Sitting upright, he watched the police car turn into a colossal robot similar to the ones that'd attacked the highway. It roared at the officer as soon as its face was fully functioning. Jones pulled his pistol out and pointed it at the robot. It snarled at him at the sight of him aiming a weapon. His eyes were wide. His forehead was sweaty. He was afraid.

The robot let out a sharp bark and charged at Jones. He fired his gun multiple times at its face. One of the shots hit its eye. The robot reeled backwards, roaring in anger. It charged at him again, but Jones fired more shots at it. He hit its other eye, blinding it. The robot roared and waved its arms all around it. Jones reloaded his gun and stood up. He continued firing at its face, making it reel backwards even more. Jones watched as it got closer to the pumps of trhe gas station. This gave him an idea.

The robot finally covered its face with one of its hands. It tried crawling away from Jones, not knowing it was getting closer to the gas station. People were fleeing from the store, not wanting to get squashed by the monster. Jones anxiously watched it get closer to the pumps. The robot grabbed a car and threw it in a random direction. The officer pointed his gun at a pump and fired multiple shots.

 _BOOOOM!_

What happened next was an explosion that created a shock wave that knocked Jones into the air, flinging him toward a building. He slammed his back on the wall, then flopped onto the sidewalk. He let a long, silent groan of pain. A police car pulled up beside him. The driver got out and scurried over to him, helping him up and rushing him to the passenger's seat. His vision was blurry. All he could hear was a high-pitched ringing in his ears. The policewoman buckled him up then ran around the car to her side. Not bothering to put her own seatbelt on, she stomped her foot onto the gas pedal and drove away with him.

Regaining some of his senses, Jones looked back. Both the robot and the gas station were gone. He faced forward in his seat. His eyesight was getting clearer, and the ringing in his ears was subsiding.

"How… How did you find me?" he asked the policewoman weakly.

"I thought you'd be up to something when you left," she replied. "I thought about it, and I decided to go after you."

Jones swallowed some spit and nodded. "So… what's the situation?"

"Terrible. I've… never seen anything like this. We're… We're hopeless."

"No," Jones said. "That's not true."

"How?"

"Shadow The Hedgehog. He's helping us."

The policewoman took her right hand from the steering wheel and felt his forehead. "You might have suffered a concussion. We're gonna go somewhere safe."

"There _is_ nowhere safe!" Jones yelled, but it came off as a wheeze. "Can't you see Westopolis's completely under attack?"

* * *

The Egg Gunners fired at Shadow. He knew he had no other choice. People _had_ to die in an attack like this. He skated away from the Badniks' fire and stopped. He turned around and skated back, though at a much faster speed. He sped down the street the Gunners were on, ramming his body through vehicles and Egg Gunners. Explosions upon explosions erupted behind him, and the street became hellfire. He skidded to a halt and looked behind him. Once the fire disappeared, all that was left was burnt remnants of cars and robots.

Egg Pawn ships flew past. Shadow clenched his fists in annoyance and skated after them. Eventually they broke formation and split up, leaving Shadow by himself. He stopped at TV store. The TVs that were displayed by the window were on various channels, but not on any news channel that might've shown the battle of Westopolis. Their screens became staticky. Shadow took a closer look, and jumped as Dr. Eggman's face appeared.

"Ho ho hooo!" he shouted. The audio didn't have the best quality; it was as stacky as the picture, but he was still audible. "Ladies and gentleman, welcome to… _The Dr. Eggman Show_! Today's episode: "The Fall of a City!" Ho ho ho! Awww, did I hijack your television? Heh heh! Don't worry, your regularly scheduled program will return in a moment!"

Shadow imagined people in their houses, changing channels, but always seeing Eggman's ugly face. How big was the area of hijacked TVs? The whole city? The whole state? The whole country?

"But first…" Eggman continued. "I have a special announcement to make. Ahem… People of the United States of America!" He paused. "That would be you," he added. "If you do not surrender to the Eggman Empire in precisely _two hours,_ I will destroy this puny city!" Eggman's face was briefly replaced by a picture of Westopolis, then came back on. "There will be _no_ negotiations. You will agree to my terms or not. Anyone who tries to interfere will be brutally destroyed! I'll leave the fate of the city to the city itself. If it answers yes, it shall send off fireworks into the sky. I'll make sure to... eh, _provide_ them for you immediately. The city will give me a brilliant Fourth of July show… or be blown up like the Fourth of July! Ho ho ho ho ho!"

Eggman's face disappeared, and the regular TV shows came back on. Shadow yelled in rage and slammed his fist into the ground. His uncle was a madman! He really was going to destroy Westopolis! And Shadow wasn't sure if he could protect it…


	18. Car Chase

At the police station, the Chief of Police was talking to Dr. Eggman. The scientist's ugly face was on everything with a screen—TVs, computers, phones… The Chief, an aged black man, was trying his best to win the argument with the doctor.

"So you see," Eggman said, "Westopolis has quite a big decision to make."

The Chief was close to giving up. "F-fine! We'll agree to your terms we'll surrender! Just call of your attack, _please!_ "

Eggman grinned. "Heh heh… Look at you, so _desperate!_ I love it, to be honest. Seeing people so scared… It… it fuels me! Ho ho ho!"

The Chief fell to his hands and knees. "Please… Spare us…"

Eggman scratched his chin. "Hmmm…" He snapped his fingers and his expression brightened. "Oh! I just had a _brilliant_ idea! And trust me, I'm known for my brilliant ideas… You see, people like you have too much power over the city. Hell, it's not even a city; it's a pyramid, with the corrupted officials on the top and the helpless citizens on the bottom."

"What… what are you saying?" the Chief asked.

"As you know, Westopolis will show me its surrender with a fireworks show…"

"Yeah? Where are the fireworks?"

Eggman leaned forward, closer to the screen. "Out. Of your. Reach."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"Hee hee hee! Here's how the city will be saved: I will put the fireworks someplace where terrified citizens will find them, and it will be up to them to set them off."

"S-so? Westopolis will still be saved!"

Eggman shook his head and waved his finger. "Will it? You fail to understand the mind of a scared person, Chief. I was once one myself. You have no _idea_ how much a regular person hates Westopolis. Will they think—oh, I don't know—'Wouldn't it just be better off destroyed?'"

The Chief shook his head, tears welling up in his eyes. "No… Please…"

A wide, evil grin took over Eggman's face. "Yes! _Yes!_ Oh ho ho ho ho ho ho ho hooo! Ciao!"

The scientist waved his hand, and the screens went black. Amy and her parents had been in the large room, listening to the whole thing. They watched as the Chief remained on the floor, bawling his eyes out.

"I can't take this," Mr. Rose said. "Someone has to do something."

"But who? And what?" asked Mrs. Rose.

Mr. Rose looked at his family. "We are, andwe're going to save the city."

Amy was shocked. "What? That's crazy! Daddy, the mustache man's deceiving us. He _wants_ to make us believe that we're doomed!"

"And what if we are, Amy?" Mr. Rose snapped.

The two stared at each other for a moment. Mr. Rose took a deep breath and said, "Fine. I'm going out there by myself."

"Honey!" Mrs. Rose exclaimed as he turned to leave the room. "Please think about what you're doing. It's _all-out war_ out there!"

"My sacrifice won't be for nothing," Mr. Rose said. "I'm a judge, dammit!"

He took a step forward, but Mrs. Rose grabbed his wrist and stopped him from walking. "You can't stop me," he said.

Mrs. Rose hesitated. "I'm not. I'm… going with you."

Mr. Rose looked at his wife for a long time. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." She looked at Amy. "You stay here. You'll be safe."

Amy's eyes glistened with tears. "No. I'm going, too."

"Amy," Mr. Rose said, "if you die, it'll be on us."

"But if I stay and you die, I… I wouldn't be able to live without you."

Mr. and Mrs. Rose looked at each other. Their daughter was only trying to be noble like them. "Alright," they both said.

Amy didn't jump up and down or squeal in glee. She only nodded her head solemnly. The three of them hastily walked out of the room. Then they picked up their pace from a fast walk to a jog, heading toward the garage of the WPD. They got in their car and drove away. Amy sat behind the driver's seat, which was occupied by her father. She fell lost in thought as they weaved around the garage. The person she thought of most was Matthew. She imaged him sitting in the corner of a room belong to a building that was about to be destroyed. She didn't want to think about how scared he was, or how guilty he was feeling.

The Roses made it to the bottom floor of the garage. Mr. Rose stepped on the accelerator as the exit came into view. Amy was scared of what she would see once they were out. Sure enough, her fears came true. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the dimming sunlight, and saw tall building on fire, small building flattened, car demolished, and people running for their lives. No one else was driving a car but them. Mr. Rose sped through the middle of the street, honking his horn loudly. More fear overcame Amy as she saw more and more destruction. Westopolis had been stripped of whatever it was hiding behind, she thought, and now it was being infiltrated.

The street became eerily desolate. Fewer and fewer people were seen running away, and thing became quiet. Amy brushed her hair out of her face and looked behind her.

"Dad…" she said quietly.

"What is it, honey?" he asked.

"You need to go faster…"

"Why?"

"Just… just do it!"

"Why?!"

"Just do it! Just do it! Go faster!"

Mr. Rose looked behind him and gasped at what he saw. A whole hoard of small Egg Pawn ships was chasing after them. There had to be hundreds of them, like a swarm of bees. Mr. Rose immediately shifted gears and stomped his foot down on the accelerator, and they started going faster. The ships started firing at their car, but there aim was off, and their shots fell short from the car. But it was more than enough to scare the Roses.

"Ohhh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit!" Mrs. Rose screamed.

Amy and Mr. Rose were both shocked at Mrs. Rose's sudden swearing, but otherwise weren't very distracted by it. They sped down the street, trying to get away from the Egg Pawns. Amy looked in exasperation at the three-way intersection ahead, and Mr. Rose saw it, too. Soon they would have to turn left or right. It didn't matter which one they chose, but what did matter was that if they didn't slow down at the intersection they would swerve, and if they did slow down they would be doomed.

The Egg Pawns were gaining on them. Their shots were getting more accurate, causing the car to rock whenever a shot nearly hit it. Amy put on her seatbelt, and Mr. and Mrs. Rose did the same. Finally, one of the ships fired a shot at the back the car and made contact. Everything went in slow motion for the Roses as they sailed through the air in their car. The screamed in terror, seeing the world move around them. The movement of time started picking up, and Amy knew this was the end. Her life flashed before her eyes. Her years in preschool through third grade, meeting Matthew, her years finishing elementary school, and her two years in high school. She closed her eyes, accepting her oncoming death.

But it never came. Amy opened her eyes and saw the car… floating in midair? She and her parents, who were also still alive, were hanging in their upside-down car. It slowly rolled right side-up and landed gently on the road. They looked around and tried to figure out what was doing this. An explosion broke out behind them. They looked back and saw that the swarm of Egg Pawn ships was gone.

A black-colored creature landed on top of the hood, in front of the windshield. All three of them yelled in horror. It was Shadow The Hedgehog.

Shadow pulled back his fist then thrust it forward, shattering the windshield. He was breathing heavily, either from exhaustion or anger. He grabbed Mr. Rose by his suit jacket and pulled him out the car.

" _What were you thinking?!_ " he yelled to the terrified man. " _Are you stupid?! You could've gotten yourself killed!_ "

"I'm sorry!" Mr. Rose cried. "I'm so sorry! Please… please don't hurt me! Just leave us alone!"

Shadow dropped Mr. Rose. His expression softened at the sight of Amy. His body relaxed, and his breathing slowed down as she stared back at him. He looked at Mr. Rose, who was crying at his Hover Shoes.

Shadow spoke in a calmer tone. "Get you and your family somewhere safe."

Mr. Rose looked up at Shadow, confused.

"Now," Shadow said, a little more forceful.

Mr. Rose immediately straightened up and gather his wife and his daughter. They ran into the nearest building, except for Amy, who looked back at Shadow. He forced himself to turn his back on her and super-jump away.

A small smile came on Amy's face, and she went inside.


	19. Shadow's Fight

Egg Pawns were whooping and pumping their fists as they shot at people and buildings, clearly enjoying themselves. Thankfully, no buildings had been knocked down, since the Egg Pawns had short attention spans and wanted to shoot at everything they could. Egg Gunners, Egg Fights, and EggRobos were marching down the streets. The number of robots attacking Westopolis seemed to keep getting bigger and showed no signs of stopping.

Shadow was looking down on the attack from the top of a skyscraper. He ran his fingers through the spikes on his head as he tried to hold back his fear.

 _The attack's too big,_ he thought. _I… I… can't do this._

He pictured the first time he met his grandfather, Gerald. He remembered what the professor said when he told Matthew who he really was: _Those pictures! Look at them! That's what you looked like when you first came out of your mother's womb!_ Shadow remembered those pictures, and how disgusting he looked in them.

 _Your father was a creature known as Black Doom, a member of the Black Arms. He's an alien._ Shadow wondered what this Black Doom looked like. Did he and Shadow look alike?

 _Matthew, I have something I think you'll like._ Shadow looked at his Inhibitor Rings. They helped him control his power. They prevented him from going completely insane.

 _Now, the media has a pretty bad image on you. I suggest you change that._ Shadow looked from his Inhibitors to the city. His breathing became loud, and the irises of his eyes began to glow. He would not give up.

* * *

Three people—two women and a man—ran into an alley for cover. They had been running from the strange robots for what felt like eternity, always going from one place to the next. Every bit of them knew that this was the end. All of them had had tough lives living in the city. They were poor, and previously had struggled endlessly to keep the roofs over their heads. What little home they had left had been destroyed in the attack. Now they had nothing. This attack had destroyed their lives.

They found a tight corner in the alley and huddled into it, hoping it would at least protect them a little. All three of them were scared for their life. They huddled closer as they heard the tops of building explode. Small specs of debris fell on top of them. An explosion they _felt_ broke out, and a box fell in front of them. The man noted that it looked like a package, and moved away from the girls to see what was inside. He took the small blade inside his coat pocket and cut the tape off it.

He opened the box. Inside was a hoard of strangely designed fireworks. He took one out and looked at it curiously. He wondered what these were for. It wasn't July yet, and the box came from nowhere. He felt the ground quiver below him as part of the street near them exploded. He put the rocket pack in the box and returned to his spot with the two women.

 _Fyoooooooom!_ The group looked up and saw a missile aimed straight at them. They joined hands as the missile closed in on them and blew them up… and destroyed the package of fireworks.

Without the bottom to support it, the building began to topple over. It was the first one to do so during the attack. It crashed into its neighboring building as it fell over. It had not been built well, so it was quickly reduced to a pile of rubble and dust. Any people on the sidewalk or street scrambled to get out of the way.

The tool that was supposed to save Westopolis was gone.

* * *

An Egg Fighter swung its buzz-saw forward, landing a clean hit on Shadow. It was a powerful hit that sent Shadow reeling. He crashed through the window of a diner and slammed into a counter. He picked himself up, effortlessly grabbed one of the tables, and threw it at the Fighter. It hit the robot with perfect aim and sliced it in half, making it explode. The table he threw flew into another building. Shadow leaped out of the diner and brought his fist down on an EggRobo. His fist was shoved into it, but it was still functional. It flailed its gun arms around and tried to get Shadow off, but he threw his fist downward, destroying the robot. He jumped into the air and closed his eyes. His body started glowing yellow, and numerous Chaos Spears formed around him. He opened his eyes and released them all around the area, destroying robots occupying the street or Egg Pawn ships taking over the sky. Flames burst out of Shadow's Hover Shoes as he flew to another area. He had missed one of the Egg Pawns ships, and it fired a powerful shot at him, knocking him to the ground like a fly.

He quickly got up and fired some Beam Vision at the ship, but it deftly evaded and fired another shot at the hedgehog. The shot exploded as it hit him and sent him flying. Shadow stopped himself in midair. Curling up his body into a ball, he launched himself at the small ship, but fired once again, yet again hurling Shadow to the ground. It didn't wait for him to get up and fired again. Shadow yelled as his body helplessly collided into a dump truck. The Egg Pawn ship started to charge for another shot. Shadow had no time to think; he decided to just let himself get hit again. However, the ship exploded just before it was ready to fire. Shadow watched in amazement as pieces of the ship fell to the ground. Did someone save him? Did the ship just get too hot and self-destructed?

A pleased smirk came on his face as a figure emerged from the smoke and flames.

"Omega, you came back."

"Of course I did," the robot said as it walked toward Shadow. It was carrying two large, silver-colored guns that resembled revolves, but were much more… alien. "I could not just leave you to fight this war yourself."

Shadow peeled himself off the dump truck and tiredly flopped on the ground. "Ugh… Eggman said that the city has to set off some firework in order for him to call off the attack. Do you… know where they are?"

Omega hesitated, then beeped. "Negative."

Shadow pulled himself up by using the hood of another car for support. "Well, that's great. Do you think they might've gotten lost?"

"I am not for certain," Omega said. "Matthew, there is a situation…"

Shadow took a deep breath. "…That doesn't sound good."

"It isn't. When Dr. Robotnik hijacked the airways, he—well, _exposed_ my systems."

"Uh-huh…?"

"Yes. When I was able to come back online, the Chaos Emeralds were…"

"Gone," Shadow finished.

"That is correct," Omega said solemnly.

Shadow grabbed his head in disbelief and started pacing around. "Are you f- Are you _kidding_ me?!" He stopped walking around an looked at Omega. "What's the lab like?"

Omega paused. "Nearly destroyed."

Trying to keep in his anger, Shadow pursed his lips and closed his eyes. It only worked for a short time. He yelled and threw a truck at a nearby supermarket. He turned to Omega as the shop exploded behind him.

"Eggman. Is going. To pay," he said firmly.

"Matthew, I must remind you that he is your uncle."

" _You think I don't know that?!_ " roared Shadow. "That's what's getting to me, the fact that _my uncle is doing this!_ I've looked up to him _my whole life,_ and now he's committing _genocide!_ What about when he decides to show his face, huh? What if the only way to stop him is to kill him? Every part of me just wants to run away right now, but I don't. because I love this goddamn city! I see something in it that most others don't. I see a glimmer of hope, and I need to save Westopolis before it goes away!"

Omega robotically pointed its two guns toward the sky. "I understand that, Matthew, and I'm going to help you."


	20. The Egg Dragoon

Shadow was skating down the middle of a street, with Omega flying right beside him. They stopped in their tracks as a large battleship emerged right through the middle of a tower. It steadied itself in the air and started firing orange orbs of energy at the duo. Omega pointed one of its guns at the ship, but Shadow pushed it out of the way. Omega's large and clunky body bumped into the wall of a building.

Suddenly, the earth began to shake. It was steady quake that had a rhythm. The noise was getting closer, and the ground started quaking more violently. Shadow looked down on the cement he was standing on. Something was coming, but it was something _beneath_ them. He looked at Omega, who was a few yards away. The robot was that last thing he saw before the street exploded under him. He was flung up into the air, as the Egg Dragoon crawled out of the hole. It spread its wings and took flight. And at its helm…

"Eggman!" Shadow said.

The cockpit was protected by a blue bubble of energy. Shadow knew that it was some type of force field. The doctor was making sure that _he_ would win… again.

Shadow made no effort to fly away. He wanted to take on Eggman here and now. The Egg Dragoon raised the long drill on one of its arms and swung at Shadow, like a sword. Shadow dodged with a back-flip and rammed his body against its chest. The force pushed it through a building. It spread its wings, catching itself. It aimed the energy cannon on its other arm at Shadow and fired. One shot brushed past the side of one of his Hover Shoes and sent him spiraling to the ground.

Annoyed, Shadow got up and looked at the Shoe. The paint on the right side of it was completely gone, and the boot sparked from time to time. _Still functional,_ he thought. He pulled back a fist and leaped at the Egg Dragoon, ready to punch the daylight out if it. The Egg Dragoon countered with a backhanded swipe of its drill and struck him. His arms and legs shot forward from whiplash, then the rest of his body slammed into the street below.

The Egg Dragoon thrust its chest forward and aimed at Shadow, preparing to give him a body slam. Shadow got up and jumped toward it. However, he lost his footing before the jump and didn't get the force he needed. The Egg Dragoon's body collided into Shadow's and drove him to the ground.

Meanwhile, Omega was putting up a fight of its own. Its guns made a _pew pew pew!_ sound as it fired small yellow-colored beams at Egg Launchers, which were similar to Egg Gunners, only their bodies were yellow and had rocket launchers on both arms. Omega's guns made a _ch-chk!_ sound as it raised them above its head and recharged them. The Egg Launchers took this chance and fired missile at it, but Omega juked to the side and dodged them. It jumped into the air and sailed above them, then fired at the Egg Launchers below. They all exploded or caught on fire from the successful maneuver. Omega landed behind them and turned. One Egg Launcher was crawling toward it, its body ablaze.

"Worthless consumer models," it said as it pointed the barrel of one of its guns at the Launcher and blasted its head off.

* * *

Shadow struggled to push the Egg Dragoon off him. He groaned in a soft, tired voice as he started to lift its body. It pushed back, and his back hit the cement under him. He felt trapped. Helpless. Hopeless. He slowly craned his head up and saw the light of the outside world. He then got an idea. If he could push it upward one more time…

He placed his hands on it and pushed. Its body creaked loudly as he lifted it off him. His arms were trembling wildly. All he needed was nearly an inch of separation. Once he got what he needed, his Hover Shoes propelled him forward. His body slid along the ground as he escaped from under the Egg Dragoon's body. Before he could stand up, the robot swung its arm cannon downward, forcing him to lie stomach-first on the ground.

 _Dammit,_ he thought.

Shadow heard a whooshing sound, then heard Eggman's laughter. The force field must've went down.

"Oh ho ho ho ho hoo!" the scientist hollered. "Well, _this_ is fun, isn't it, Shadow? Time is running out before I blow this city to smithereens!"

Shadow imaged the doctor stroking his mustache in the cockpit of the Dragoon. "Why?" he yelled. "What has this city done to you?"

Eggman sighed. "It's not what it's done to me, it's what it's _doing_ to me! All these terrible memories of the life I've had here… G.U.N. took away everything I had, but I rebuilt! I rose up from the ashes! Can Westopolis do the same? Heh heh…"

 _No! I won't let him! I can't!_ "Don't you have good memories here, Eggman? Don't you have a family?" Shadow asked as he struggled to push himself up under the weight of the arm cannon.

"Hmmm, I'm surprised the word 'family' is in your vocabulary, Shadow. Let's finish this."

Shadow heard another whooshing sound, then felt the arm cannon lift off of him. He leapt into the air, creating a sonic boom behind him, and started to fly. The Hover Shoe that'd had been damage started chugging, coughing up smoke and disrupting his flight pattern. The Egg Dragoon effortlessly flew through a glass-windowed building and started chasing Shadow.

* * *

Omega was flying after a group of three police cars that'd transformed into monstrous robots. It shot two of them in the back of their necks and caused the upper half of their bodies to explode. The third robot looked at Omega and yelped in fear, then started to run on all fours like a lion. Omega shot the back of the robot's legs, causing it to fall.

"Target acquired," Omega said as it threw its guns to the side. One of its hands retracted into its socket and was replaced by a cannon. It landed on the robots shoulders and wrestled it to the ground. Omega drove its cannon arm into the robot's neck and fired.

Sadly, Omega was not expecting an explosion. It flew like a ragdoll into a flower shop. It made a booping noise as it watched the people scurry around it.

* * *

"You can't run forever, Shadow!" Dr. Eggman's voice boomed as the Egg Dragoon flew chased after the black hedgehog.

Shadow gasped as a shot from the Dragoon's arm cannon flew past his head. After flying for what felt like only a couple seconds, he stopped hearing the sound of the robot. He stopped and looked around. He was in the part of Westopolis that was filled with skyscrapers. Where had the Egg Dragoon gone? The building next to him started to shake, then the robot sprung out of it like a Jack-in-the-Box. Shadow moved backward and dodged a swipe from its drill. It then pointed the drill at him and fired it. Shadow moved out of the way as fast as his failing Hover Shoes could take him, but the drill changed direction instead of continuing on with its course. It was homing in on him! Shadow flew between two buildings, hoping the drill would hit one of them, but it maneuvered between them and continued chasing him. It was closing in on him. He could feel it.

Shadow dived to the street below, then flew forward just as he was about to hit it. It was the trick he'd learned when he had taken his first flight, when Gerald was still alive. However, the drill did the same, shredding through any vehicle in its way. Shadow looked back to see it tear through a semi truck.

An inspired idea entered his mind.

Shadow moved away from the street and looked around for the Egg Dragoon as he flew. The sun was setting over the horizon, and the sky was beginning to lose color. The Dragoon was in the distance blasting at building with its arm cannon. Shadow made a beeline straight for it. He checked to make sure the drill was still flying after him. He only had one shot…

The Egg Dragoon didn't seem to notice that Shadow was nearing it. Its back was turned toward him. _Perfect,_ he thought. He tucked in his arms and legs to increase his flying speed. The drill was still catching up to him.

He pursed his lips together as he concentrated. He flew in between one of its arms, his body barely touching the robot's. The drill pierced through the Egg Dragoon's back and came out through its chest. Losing its flight power, the drill fell to the ground, now a cone-shaped piece of metal.

The Egg Dragoon seemed perfectly fine. Shadow cursed as it regained control over itself despite having a hole through the middle of its body. However, Eggman's voice could be heard. Shadow looked closer and saw the force field protecting the cockpit was gone. His angry glare took over his face as flew right toward the scientist. He grabbed Eggman by his jacket and pulled him out.

"N-no! Please! Don't hurt me! Please!" he yelled.

They landed safely on top a building. Many more Egg Pawn ships than usual were flying around the city. Eggman was lobbed forward and hit the top of the building. Shadow came over ext to him and watched him cover his face in fear. Without his robots, he was nothing.

Shadow took a deep breath and let his anger be cleared. "Don't be scared, Uncle Ivo. I'm not going to hurt you."

Eggman looked up at Shadow quizzically. "'Uncle'?"

Shadow swallowed and clenched his fists. He knew he had to do this. He closed his eyes and reverted back to his human form. Matthew knelt beside Eggman and said, "It's me, Uncle Ivo."

Eggman's face was a mix of relief and disbelief. "M-Matt? But… how? How can this be?"

"It's a long story, but… I need you to call off the attack. You're killing innocent people."

"Matt… G.U.N. took my work away from me because you're my nephew, and now I know why…"

"Uncle Ivo, listen to me. You need to stop this."

"it can't be stopped," whispered Eggman. He looked past Matthew. "The Eggman Fleet has arrived."

Matthew looked behind himself and saw nearly a dozen immense battleship closing in on the city. He faced back to Eggman. "Come on, there has to be a way to stop it!"

"I told you, it can't be stopped. I never wanted to stop it, so I didn't invent any passcodes to do so. The largest battleship is the Egg Carrier. It's being powered by the seven Chaos Emeralds. It's emitting a signal that controls the other ships, but…"

"I'll destroy it," Matthew said as he transformed into Shadow, "and take back the Emeralds _you_ stole from me."

"Matt, wait," Eggman called weakly. "This is the future of Westopolis we're talking about. Also, what if you die?"

Shadow stood on the roof's edge and looked down at the city below. "It'll be a good death," he croaked, trying not to cry. He jumped off. His Hover Shoes spat out a steady stream of yellow flame as he took flight.

He was now face-to-face with the Eggman Fleet. The Hover Shoes coughed, then returned to normal. A sonic boom erupted behind him as he gained at drastic gain of speed. As the city got smaller as he flew farther and farther away from it, he replayed one of his best childhood memories in his mind…

* * *

 _11 Years Earlier_

"Mommy, I can't do it!" Matthew screamed as dangled ten feet above the ground from a tree branch.

"Yes you can, Matt," Maria said. "I'll catch you, I promise."

Matthew closed his eyes and started to cry.

"Look at me, Matt," Maria told him. She was standing only a few feet below him. The drop was not a big one. "How did you get up there, anyway?"

Matthew opened his eyes and looked down at her. "Promise?"

"I promise."

Matthew stared ahead of him, and let go.

* * *

Tears were gushing out Shadow's eyes. This was for his mother. He tucked in his arms and brought his knees, up to his head, curling into a ball. His body started spinning. Faster and faster he went, creating another sonic boom. He was aimed toward the Egg Carrier's middle. He pierced through it, and got caught in a giant explosion. The Egg Carrier split in half. The other battleships' jets stopped spouting flames, and they began to fall.

The people of Westopolis watched as EggRobos fell to the ground, Egg Fighters fell to their sides, Egg Gunners fell apart, and Egg Launchers exploded. The Egg Pawn ships stopped flying, and the Egg Pawns fell off of them like paper.

Streaks of green, blue, red, yellow, purple, cyan, and white light zipped from the explosion of the Egg Carrier. They flew off in different directions. The Chaos Emeralds had been lost.

Omega emerged from the flower shop it's crashed into and watched as robots and Egg Pawn ships fell from the sky. "You have done it, Matthew," it said.

All the battleships crashed and burned in the outskirts of Westopolis. The Egg Carrier had become a giant fireball and was heading straight for the highway. Everything in its path was obliterated. And Shadow The Hedgehog was nowhere to be seen.


	21. Epilogue, Part 1

Dr. Eggman watched his battleships, his robots, and his life's work literally crash and burn as he sat on the rooftop. His nephew was Shadow The Hedgehog… Who would've guessed? This whole time, he had been fighting his nephew! Eggman remembered when he gave Matthew the bubble gun for Christmas many years ago. Those were his best memories, the ones he spent with Maria and Matthew.

Night had fallen over Westopolis. After sitting there for a long time, he heard the sound of a helicopter. A bright spotlight shone from its bottom. It moved on the scientist, illuminating him in a bright white light. He knew he was about to be arrested.

"You are surrounded," a voice boomed from the helicopter. "Surrender now."

An angry expression took over Eggman's face. He raised his fist in the air and shouted, "Curse you, Shadow The Hedgehog!"

* * *

The Roses had made it home safely. Their house was unharmed, and, thankfully, so were the rest of the houses in the neighborhood. Neither Amy or her parents said a word about anything. They pretended nothing had happened. It'd just been a regular day, and no attack had taken over Westopolis. The eerie silence disturbed Amy. She thought about the city. What was its future now? What would happen to the people who lost their homes or their families? She then realized how thankful she was; she had not lost her home, and she had not lost her family.

She thought about Shadow The Hedgehog. He was the one who stopped the attack. He was responsible for letting people live. However, he was also responsible for letting people die. Saving the city had some kind of price.

She was sitting on the couch when there was a knock on the door. She answered it and saw was greeted by Officer Jones.

"Officer," she said half-surprised, half-terrified. "Do you know where Matt is? Is he alive? Stranded? Hurt?"

Jones put his hand up. "Woah, hold on there, miss. Can… Can I come in?"

"Sure," she said, taking a few steps back.

"You see," said the officer as he stepped in, "I was hoping you might know where he is."

Amy's parents heard someone come in and stepped out the kitchen to see who it was.

"May I help you?" asked Mr. Rose.

"I would like Amy to come with me," Jones explained. "She's not in any kind of trouble, I just need her helpt to look for something."

"What?"

"A person."

"Who?"

Amy stepped in. "My boyfriend."

Mr. Rose looked at her and furrowed his brow. "Is it that… Matthew Robotnik?"

Amy nodded.

"I never liked him. He took my clothes."

"Can I go?" she asked.

Mr. and Mrs. Rose exchanged glances. Mrs. Rose nodded, signaling to her husband that she should go. Mr. Rose sighed and looked at his daughter.

"I guess so."

Amy and Officer Jones immediately walked out, leaving Mr. and Mrs. Rose in the dust. Agent Whitely was waiting for them in front of the squad car. Jones moved to her side, and they both faced toward Amy.

"So, do you have any idea where Matthew might be?" asked Whitely.

Amy thought for a moment. She remembered when he'd suddenly disappeared, she went to his house once and found it completely empty.

"I do," she said.

"Where?"

"His house."

Jones and Whitely looked at one another and shrugged. "Might as well give it a try," Jones said. "Just give me directions."

Amy, Jones, and Whitely got in the car and headed toward Matthew's house. It was in a neighborhood far away from Amy's, in a completely different district. It was a long drive, especially since the roads were closed (except for city officials), filled with rubble, debris, and wreckage from the attack. The sky was clouded with smoke that blocked the shine of the full moon. Ambulances were everywhere, rushing injured people to hospitals. There were a lot of fire trucks, too, hosing down burning houses and buildings. Sometimes a piece of a destroyed building completely blocked the road, and they had to go somewhere else. Amy wondered how much the city had been destroyed.

Matthew's neighborhood was not as lucky as hers. Some houses were missing chunks of walls or roofs, others were utterly flattened. The sight of his house broke her heart; the top half of his suburban home was completely gone, leaving four walls, some windows, and a door.

"We're here," she said, talking with a dry mouth.

Jones stomped his foot on the brake and stopped the car immediately. He turned to her and told her, "If he's in there, take your time. He may or may not wanna come out."

Amy understood and nodded. She got out the car and walked to the front door, then put her ear against the crack. There was faint murmuring inside. Was it Matthew? She took a deep breath, then gripped the doorknob and turned it.

Matthew was sitting in the empty living room, the sky above his head. There were a few traces of the torn off ceiling, but it was all gone otherwise.

"I failed… I failed… I failed…" he was mumbling, for he truly had failed. He might've stopped the Eggman Fleet from obliterating Westopolis, but there was no escaping the aftermath. Now the city's future was unknown. The glimmer of hope he'd seen was gone.

His lips were chapped, and his throat was dry. He tried swallowing, but all he could muster was an uncomfortable gulp. He turned his head toward the girl standing in his doorway.

"Amy…" he tried to say, but could only mouth the words. This feeling he had… Was he… dying? He felt like he was fighting and winning & losing at the same time. But it was not his sacrifice he took against the Eggman Fleet that was killing him.

It was his failure that was killing him.

"I failed… I failed…" he muttered.

The girl ran to his side and sat down beside him, wrapping her arms around him. Matthew practically fell into her embrace.

"Mom…" he whispered. "S'that you?"

"No," said Amy's voice. "It's me."

"Amy…"

"Yeah. You're gonna be okay, Matt."

"I failed… I failed… I failed…"

"Matt…"

"I failed… I failed to be good enough for you, Amy."

Amy pulled him in closer and started sliding her hands along his back. He sighed as she did so. "Matt, if there's one thing you are, it's not good. It's the best. You've been more than good enough. You've been the best."

Matthew looked up at her and smiled. "How'd you find me?"

"You're never hard to find," she said, giving him a kiss on the forehead.

He nuzzled into her, and they sat there in silence for a few moments. "You okay?" he asked, breaing the silence.

Amy chuckled. "He saved us. Shadow The Hedgehog saved us. He saved me, my mom, and my dad."

Matthew grinned, and a tear rolled down his cheek. "Good," he said.

Amy folded her hands tenderly around his neck, and their eyes met. They could see the fire in them. Amy's was green, and Matthew's was red. He ran his fingers through her silky blond hair.

"You're amazing," he said.

"I know," she said, smiling. She then pulled him into a kiss.

* * *

 _2 Weeks Later_

Matthew and Amy were walking down the sidewalk, hand-in-hand. The particular street they were at was closed for construction, but only to vehicles. They watched as a crane hoisted a slab of rubble off the cement.

"Amy," Matthew said, his face bright with a happy smile, "there are a lot of foster families in Westopolis, so…"

Amy's eyes brightened. "You're staying?!"

"I'm staying."

Amy let out a squeal of happiness and pulled him into a tight hug. "How caught up are you on make-up work?" she asked after she let him go.

"I'm… getting there. There's a lot to do, but it's great being back at school."

"You can handle it, though, right?"

"Pshhh! I could handle a whole _year_ of make-up work if I had to."

They continued walking. "Hey, wanna hang out later?" she asked. "I could use another back rub."

Matthew raised his eyebrows. " _Another_ one? What do you keep doing to it?"

They both laughed. Suddenly, a white streak flew past them, and Matthew disappeared as it went by. Confused, Amy started looking around.

"Matt?" she asked "Matt?"

Matthew found himself flying high above the streets of the city. He looked behind himself to see a white-colored creature that somewhat resembled Shadow The Hedgehog, though this one had yellow eyes, and a light blue outline surrounded his body.

They suddenly stopped, and the white being threw Matthew towards the ground. He had just enough time to transform into Shadow before he slammed into the ground with an incredible impact. He stood up, his red eyes glowing. People were scurrying away. The white being slowly lowered to the ground. The light blue outline around him disappeared as his feet touched the ground.

"Hello, Matt," he said.

Shadow's eyes widened as he recognized the being. "Silver The Hedgehog… Commander!"

The commander—or Silver—grinned. "That's right." His body became outlined in light blue again as he pointed the palm of his hand at Shadow. Shadow could feel his body being outlined in the same color, and he started levitating. Silver then thrust his palm forward, throwing Shadow into a car.

"Like it?" Silver asked. "Telekinesis. Like your power, only better." He picked Shadow up with his physchic power and pinned him to the ground, then picked up a car and slammed it into him. He hit Shadow numerous times until the car was a plate of metal with wheels.

Shadow felt his body get free from Silver's power and lunged at him.

"It's no use!" Silver shouted as he pointed his palms at Shadow and caught him in the air. "Take this!" He slammed Shadow against the street, then at a building, then through the window of another building across the street. Shadow tumbled in the air and sailed through another building. His Hover Shoes had been fixed, and he used them to stop going any further.

The people who working in the office he was in hurried to get out of their as quick as possible. Silver flew in and looked Shadow in the eye.

"Why are you doing this?" Shadow asked.

Silver paced around the office. "Robotnik attacked the G.U.N. Headquarters and stole the Chaos Emeralds that were in our possession. He used the element of surprise. He hit us when we were least expecting it. I've come to recover the Emeralds he stole."

"Commander, you know I'm not affiliated with him."

"Maybe so… But my superior officers and I decided to sit back and watch Westopolis burn. _This isn't so bad,_ we thought. _We'll get them back._ We were sure that you, Matt, would fail. Your only experience of fighting was destroying our tanks, but we were certain that wasn't enough to stop a whole attack."

"I… I don't understand."

"I've resigned from G.U.N., Matt. They tried to get the Silver The Hedgehog serum out of my system, but I wouldn't let them. I've come to kill you, Matt. I've come to be the hero Westopolis so richly deserves."


	22. Epilogue, Part 2

Silver thrust the palm of his hand in Shadow's direction, and Shadow's body began to glow light blue as he felt Beam Vision energy building up in his eyes. But it was… doing it on its own? No… Was Silver controlling his mind? He tried to fight back and close his eyes, but he wasn't able to.

"Stop!" Shadow yelled. "Get out of my head!"

The red-hot, crimson-colored beams then exploded from his eyes. He felt his head moving around as the Beam Vision ravaged the office. Pieces of the ceiling started falling around hm. The floor started to give out. A part of the ceiling fell on top of Silver, and Shadow was free. His eyes hurting, he fell to his knees. The floor under him gave out and he fell to the floor below. He looked out the window and saw Silver flying away. He got up and charged through it and sailed toward the ex-commander. He grabbed him in midair with one arm and swung a fist at his head with the other. They both plummeted through the rooftop of another building, crashing through floor through floor as they punched the snot out of each other. They were evenly matched.

They fell to the lobby of the building, where people ran as fast as they could to get away from the fight. Silver threw a left cross at Shadow, sending him flying out the building. Shadow recovered from the punch, his feet sliding along the pavement as he landed.

"I am the ultimate symbol of justice," Silver said as he jumped out. "I dedicated my life to protect my family, my friends, my sense of morality. _You_ have no morality. You have no family or friends. What are _you_ a symbol of?"

Shadow leaped at Silver so fast that he created a sonic boom. Coupled with high speed, he threw his shoulder into Silver's gut. The impact sent Silver flying, but he stopped in midair and threw his body at Shadow. Shadow swung a haymaker, a punch with minimal elbow bend. The punch hit Silver like a bat hitting a baseball and sent him tumbling to the ground. Shadow grabbed him by the shoulders and threw him down the street. He crashed into multiple cars, including a semi truck. Anger in his yellow eyes, he used his psychic power to throw cars at Shadow. Shadow started skating on his Hover Shoes, closing in the distance between him and Silver. He quick-stepped left and right as he dodged the cars being thrown at him. He wondered if people were in those cars.

Once Shadow got to Silver, a fistfight commenced. They both hit each other's faces with fast punches. Shadow would hit Silver, and Silver would hit Shadow. Neither of them backed down as the process repeated for a long time. Finally, Silver swung his fist upward, clubbing Shadow with an uppercut. Shadow's body left the ground at a fast speed. The streets and buildings became smaller as he soared higher and higher. The city was still heavily damaged by Eggman's attack, and as getting more damaged by his fight with Silver.

 _I need to get this out of Westopolis,_ Shadow thought.

He saw Silver, illuminated by the light blue glow around his body, flying after him. Shadow braced for impact. Then Silver tackled him, and they flew higher into the sky. Shadow pounded Silver's back with his fists, trying to get free. The sky started losing its blue color and began turning black. Shadow peeled Silver's arms off of him and landed a three-hit combo: a hook to Silver's face, a jab to his gut, and a fist thrown downward at his head that brought him back down to the earth. Silver used his psychic power to stop himself but was then tackled by Shadow. The spiraling back down to Westopolis, punching and hitting each other.

Shadow yelled as he threw Silver to the ground with great force. He landed beside him and threw wasted no time in putting him in a headlock.

"It's over, commander," Shadow said. "We're done here."

"…No!" Silver snarled. "No, no, no, _no!_ You're going to _die,_ Matthew! I cannot let you go down this path. _I'm_ the hero, and _you're_ the villain poisoning this city!"

Shadow looked around and dreaded what he saw: Amy was standing there, watching. Here eyes were wide in fear and shock.

"Run!" Shadow yelled.

But she didn't.

"Do you know this girl?" asked Silver.

Shadow didn't answer.

Silver started laughing. He threw Shadow off of him and pointed the palm of his hand at him. Shadow started feeling him taking control of his mind again. He could feel the energy building up in his eyes. He lost all movement in his legs, hips, and head. He could only move his arms, but what good was that?

"Run, Amy!" he managed to shout. "Goddammit, _run!_ "

Unable to fight back any longer, his Beam Vision escaped his eyes. He managed to crane his neck to the side, causing it to miss. The beam was in Amy way of escape and trapped her in a corner.

Shadow's arms were flailing everywhere. "Stop this, commander! Please!"

Silver laughed. "I'm going to give you a choice, Matt: this girl, or your mom."

Was Silver trying to distract him from the mind control? Doing so would fry Amy to a crisp. Shadow had to stay focused.

"You're lying!" he yelled.

"Matt, in order for you to be created without any problems," the commander said, "alien DNA had to be be mutated with human DNA. Black Doom is not your father. I am."

The shock almost took hold of Shadow. "No… No! You're just trying to get in my head!"

"Maybe I am, but I'm also telling you the truth. I gave Professor Gerald my DNA in order for you to be created. I did it because I loved your mom Maria. But this… _infatuation_ I had with her cost me a lot. When you were born I could've taken you away from her, but I didn't, because I loved her."

"No!"

"I could've taken you away from her at any time, but I didn't, because I loved her."

Shadow was clenching his head in his hands. "No!"

"I could've taken you away. The plan was to make you the greatest soldier G.U.N. had ever seen! Training and practice and war could've been all you ever knew, but I didn't permit it, because I loved Maria. She was my best friend."

"You know where she is."

Silver was standing right beside Shadow. "I do. Let your little girlfriend die, and I'll tell you where your mom is."

Silver started laughing again. Shadow waved his arms around as he tried to decide an fight back the mind control at the same time. He felt like nothing without her mother; she was a part of his soul. He loved her so much. Then there was Amy, who'd also become a part of his soul. She'd been so supportive of him through his worst times, and she had asked for nothing in return.

Shadow could still hear Silver's maniacal laughter. It was high-pitched, like the cackle of a witch. Shadow began yelling in frustration. The mind control was seeping in, and the endless Beam Vision was nearing Amy's body. He had to make a decision.

Shadow let out one final yell before the mind control took control. Just before it did, he threw his fist at Silver. The punch was aimed at Silver's mouth, which was wide as he laughed. Shadow shoved his fist right through Silver throat, going through the back of his head. The mind control ceased, and his Beam Vision stopped. Shadow took a deep breath, then pulled his arm out from Silver's face. His arms was covered in blood and gore.

He breathed heavily as he looked at his father's dead body. Anger started coursing through him. He started punching Silver's body in the stomach.

"You maniac!" he yelled to the body. "You disgrace! _I hate you!_ "

He remembered what the commander had told him in Mexico: "We didn't kill him Matthew. I swear on my son's grave."

"Matt, stop!" Amy yelled behind him. She ran to him and hugged him from behind.

Shadow forced her off and looked at her with a deadly glare. The irises of his eyes were glowing brightly. Hurt, Amy started backing away from him. Tears were forming in her eyes.

"Matt, why didn't you tell me?"

Shadow looked at his feet. "You would've been afraid of me. I'm a monster."

Amy turned away and started running.

"Amy! Get back here!" Shadow yelled. "Get back her _right now,_ or I swear I'll…"

A robotic arm was put on his shoulder. He turned and saw Omega standing there.

"Calm down, Matthew," said the robot. "It is not worth it."

Shadow looked at his bloody glove. "I chose her over my parents, and she _ran away._ "

Omega made a beeping sound. "I do not blame you for anything, Matthew. You are my friend, even though I may not be yours."

Shadow looked at Omega.

"Someday, you will meet someone even better than Amy Rose. You need to simply let time run its course."

Shadow looked back at his glove. "So… What do we do now?"

Omega bowed. "It is up to you, sir."

Shadow looked up at the sky. "Let's fix up the lab."

SHADOW  
THE HEDGEHOG

Ending Theme: "Waking Up" by Julien-K

* * *

 **And this endeth another reboot of the Hedgehog Chronicles. Though this time, I plan on completing the Chronicles.** _ **Shadow**_ **is the first of twelve chapters of the Chronicles. A lot is going to happen.**

 **What will I do for the sequel? Well, it's a sequel, and what do you do with sequels? You make them bigger. But what I have planned for** _ **Shadow the Hedgehog 2**_ **is different. It's going to be smaller. It's going to be more personal for Matthew/Shadow. That in turn will make it bigger. That's why I think Mephiles the Dark will be the perfect villain for the sequel.**

 **And now, it's on to finishing** _ **Sonic the Hedgehog**_ **!**

 **Thanks for reading. :)**


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